The Lion King III: Kovu's Pride
by Michael Mooney
Summary: Kovu is having second thoughts about whether he deserves to be in the Pride Lands or not. But when his past comes back to haunt him in the form of another lion, will he have what it takes to defend his new kingdom? Review please
1. Ch1This Calling

**The Lion King III**

I mean… I couldn't just do that. This angel seems to actually have… feelings for me? See, that's what's making it more convincing. That you're so insane. Could such a beautiful lioness actually be in love with you? Couldn't you answer that question in less than a second if you didn't love _her_? I mean… I mean… Yeah. What do I mean anymore? I don't deserve to belong here. Not that I think I ever would anyways. If I leave her and just… maybe there's some place just like this past the Outlands. There'll be a little spring, a cave, some grass, some herds of gazelle. All for me, where I don't have to be constantly judged.

Judged? That's funny… you just stopped the two prides from ripping each other limb by limb and you think they're gonna judge you for that? Why are you being so critical, Kovu? You deserve your place here just as much as any of these lions. I mean, the rest of the Outlanders just went over to Simba's side _after_ attempting to slaughter them, and I… I had been with Simba the whole time.

Even though he didn't think so.

Maybe I don't deserve to belong because I tried to get him killed. I did try and get him killed, I was just too soft to go through with the plan. If you had just not fallen in love with that Kiara girl, Kovu, you could've been king now. Your mother, Zira, would be alive, you wouldn't be judged, you wouldn't feel so guilty for joining the pride. It would be your pride.

But it is that Kiara that made all the difference. All the better difference.

"What are you doing?"

I reacted suddenly. "Uhm…" I looked back down at my reflection in the watering hole to see my face, with an ugly gash near my left eye socket. "Just… Nothing." I turned back to face who had startled me.

"Are you… sure that's just nothing?" Kiara giggled. "I was gonna pounce but I thought I'd be diving head first into the water."

I laughed. More of a nervous laugh, I suppose. Why wasn't I completely comfortable with her yet? Ugh… all these emotions…

She must have seen that I was still heavy in emotion. "C'mon big guy… it's almost dawn. I thought you wanted to go star gazing with me tonight, like two nights ago. Start back over from where you messed up last time."

I did mess up big time two nights ago, I have to admit. If I had just told Kiara the truth, the whole truth that she deserved to know, I wouldn't have gotten exiled again, and Kiara wouldn't have had to chase after me. I suppose she did love me for some reason…

"Of course. I look forward to nothing else," I responded slowly, making sure she received the intent in my voice I was attempting to get across.


	2. Ch2I Guess

I was actually content: For the first time in the few short years I had lived, I felt content.

I looked over at my mate and smiled. "Are you okay, Kovu?" She giggled, like she always did. "You seem a little distant." It was amazing to me still that the lioness actually cared for me, the dark monster that I was.

"No… I'm fine Kiara. I'm just…" I let my sentence trailed off. I didn't want to come off troubled again but the truth was that I was. I was troubled that I didn't think I deserved this all, for Kiara to love me, for Simba to accept me, for the pride to tolerate me…

"_I_ think you're beautiful. You should too."

Wow… she read right through me. "What… What do you mean?"

"Well… I don't know. You looked sad today when you were looking at your reflection." I let her and I sit there in a slightly awkward silence, before she continued moments later. "You're not Scar, not by a long shot. You are. That scar that Zira gave you… That doesn't mean anything about who you are as a lion. Who you are as a future king, Kovu. You're not evil, there's no darkness inside of you. Please know that I love you, Kovu."

Why was she caring so much about me? "Thanks, Kiara." That was all I could say; I just wanted to shrug off the situation.

The sky was dark as the darkest shade of black, with little points dotting the sky, trying to win the hopeless battle over the darkness. I turned my head slightly to the left and saw, what I considered, our constellation. 'Two lions fighting each other over a scrap of meat!' I lifted up my paw to point at it. She laughed that sweet laugh she always would laugh.

"That's our constellation, huh?" I asked, hoping for a reply.

"Yeah. It'll always be too." She said it with the biggest smile on her face, looking over at me. I looked back at her and our eyes met, met as if they were meant to meet. I felt so safe in those blue spheres of hers, deep as oceans, yet as comforting as the warm cave atop Pride Rock. "I'm glad we're together finally," she finally said, breaking the silence.

"Me too. I thought I'd lost you Kiara…" I thought I'd lost you…

The morning was brisk and inviting, the perfect temperature for me. The sky was bright orange, and the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. My senses started tingling and awakening as I stretched every muscle in my body, walking up to the cliff of Pride Rock. I'd been in this situation before: I had stargazed with Kiara the night before, and then contemplated telling her about Zira's plot against Simba at this very spot. If only I had listened to myself and just told her. But if I knew one thing, it's that what happened in the past isn't in your control. And believe me when I say I've done my fair share of stuff…

I started to think. Thinking wasn't something that we got a lot of time for in the Outlands. We being me, Vitani, Nuka, and all the other lionesses in the so-called "pride". We would wake up at dusk and train until dawn, with barely any breaks in between. It had taught me to close in my emotions: Emotions are weak. Or, emotions were weak. Or emotions are still weak? Some emotions are weaker than others… Anger is an emotion that isn't weak.

Anger was what propelled me forward all these years. Anger against Simba. Anger against my mother. Anger against expectations and training. But in the end, the anger wasn't even worth it. Simba actually accepts me… The predecessor to the throne that was Scar's, the lion that killed Simba's father and made Simba run away to never return again. The predecessor to Scar, who nearly ruined the Pride Lands, and abused nearly every lioness in sight. It still shocks me I guess…

I sighed, as a gust of wind whipped parts of my mane off of my face. My mind was a walking contradiction. And all I desperately wanted was for it to pick one side. I had already secretly picked side, I suppose. I knew that I had started a new life for myself, that Kiara had feelings for me, and that Simba trusted me. And that I would be future king, if nothing catastrophic happened. But I still couldn't let go of the old me, the one I had left back at the Outlands only four days prior.

I sensed something…

"Can't sleep?"

It was Simba. The voice of Simba, who was wise beyond his years. The person who I had trained for my entire adolescent life to kill, yet the person who has just accepted me into his pride. "I guess not. I mean… I'm just thinking, I guess."

"You guess?" He chuckled. He chuckled just like Kiara giggled. Maybe giggling and chuckling was something that ran in their family, something that was carefree and affectionate. And kind, just like they were. "That doesn't sound like a strong answer." He let a pause resound through the early morning air. "So what's on your mind?"

Should I really confide in Simba, when I hadn't even confided in Kiara yet? I was dying to get _something_ off my chest. Simba was the wisest lion I had ever met, so it couldn't hurt to tell him what was on my mind. Not that I'd sound anything less than stupid, though. "Just…" I thought for an excuse, but was cut off by the much wittier king:

"You're just adjusting, is that it, Kovu?"

"Probably," I responded. I awkwardly looked back towards the sun, which had finally, in the course of the past few minutes, won its fight over the horizon. The sun had won the battle against the darkness. A lesson to be learned…

"C'mon… Let's go finish that walk we had planned a couple mornings ago. This time no one will be waiting for us."

Was that supposed to make me feel guilty? I sure hoped not. I turned back around to meet his stare, but found him already halfway down the steps of Pride Rock. The king moved somewhat quickly, I could give him that. Unlike Kiara who… Nevermind. Pointless argument.

The first few minutes were awkward, sure. But then the conversation became enlightening as we headed back into the foggy cloud of ashes, from the fire that his sister and brother had staged, just so that he could save Kiara. To eventually kill Simba.

"So what's been on your mind Kovu?"

What was on my mind? I figured at this point that if I were gonna tell anyone what I was thinking, it might as well be Simba. He would have some idea of what to say, right? "Honestly?" I hesitated…

"No. Lie to me, Kovu." He chuckled again. I did so, too, but more nervously.

"Ha ha, Simba. I just…" I paused. What to say? "I just haven't found my place here, that's all." I waited for his input, which never came. I figured he wanted me to go further in detail, so I went ahead:

"I guess it's more in depth than that." I turned my head to see Simba nodding in expectation. "I… I don't think I deserve you to trust me again. I don't think I deserve Kiara's love…"

"Kovu," interjected Simba, startling me slightly at his change in tone. He sounded much more serious now. "Let me make myself clear. You aren't Scar. You haven't made any mistakes, so why should you be punished?"

I guess he was right. It did settle my mind a little bit… but honestly, not by much. "I almost tried to kill you, though, Simba…"

"And I don't blame you."

It shocked me that he said that. It was a strange comment, considering the situation. This I had to hear. "You don't blame me? Is there something I'm missing here?"

Simba sighed. "Zira brought you up to hate me. Her heart was cold as ice, hard as stone. You shouldn't have known the difference between what was wrong and right if you were fed the same lies day after day. Night after night. Second after grueling second. If anything, I should be glad I have your trust Kovu…"

"I should have seen through her lies though, Simba." But he did have truth to what he was saying, I will admit.

"Don't worry, I'm a little on the guard. I don't expect you to change in the course of a few short days. But for the most part, I think you're gonna change for the better. Forever. And be a great king, and even a great father one day, to raise the next generation of kinghood."

His wise words resounded through my skull. Maybe I did just need some time to adjust. Maybe I didn't need to just run away, become a rogue. Making things right that way might just make it wrong… But maybe he was just being nice.

Simba was no fool. But no lion could understand another lion well enough to know their every thought, their every intention. I didn't even know myself that well. There might still be a Scar inside of me…

"Thanks, Simba. I owe you one."


	3. Ch3 A Bridge Between Them

I mean, I can't blame Timon for giving me those suspicious looks every single time we cross paths. I did pounce on him one day… And, from what Simba had told me this morning on our walk, after I had confessed the surface of what was bothering me, Timon and Pumbaa had basically raised Simba. Of course, I, Kovu, had tried to kill him only two days ago. Or at least, I had been framed for trying to kill the king, father of Kiara. It was almost funny in my opinion, the way Timon stared at me when I went by: a fake smile as I walked by, but if I turned my head, he was grimacing and making gestures to Pumbaa about me. Pumbaa was a kind soul but I could tell he was the one with the _actual_ brains in the dynamic duo. But what did that leave Timon with? Haha...

I continued walking, being well aware that Timon was probably saying incredulous stuff in regards to me again. I shrugged it off: What would I say about an Outlander joining my pride after trying to kill my king?

I had been walking around for just a few minutes. I wanted to get to know these lands, these lands that Simba said I would one day rule over. I still didn't know why he'd give such a big responsibility to me, but I wasn't gonna refuse. Simba wasn't an immortal being, as far as I knew.

The Pride Lands were so… peaceful. Almost too peaceful for my comfort. I mean, after a while, what was I gonna do to keep occupied? I could spend every living second with Kiara, but after a while, I'm sure that would just make two bored lions. It would have been fun as a cub to live here, as vast as the land was. One could so easily get lost in such a kingdom, if there wasn't a huge jutting rock coming up that symbolized Pride Rock, visible from virtually every angle of the Pride Lands. It was even slightly visible in my time in the Outlands. Although, back then, the jutting stone really symbolized hate, hatred, and even more hatred towards the lion who had "killed" Scar. Zira…

That was one lioness I didn't want to think about right now. She'd ruined my life enough for me to have haunting thoughts about her, thoughts about all the horrible things she had done to me. For right now, I'd just shrug _those_ thoughts off…

I was getting closer to the Outlands by every growing second. I thought I should turn around. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a few elephants, one of them staring at me. It wasn't all that polite of a stare, more of distrusting stare, one you'd give someone like me. Someone who _shouldn't_ be trusted. I deserved every hateful glance I was gonna get in these lands.

I headed back towards Pride Rock, starting the slow journey with caution. Now all four or five of the elephants were giving me nasty looks, one of them going as far to point at me with its long, extended trunk. The others seemed to agree at something.

"What are you doing, kid?"

I forgot how stupid I must have looked, only just passing Timon and Pumbaa a few seconds prior, then turning right around. Again, that question… What am I doing?

"Just walking. Thinking. I didn't wanna go into the Outlands so I turned around." Suitable enough response.

"Well, you look like you could use some company," offered Pumbaa, probably to the displeasure of Timon, who had initiated the conversation anyway.

I couldn't just refuse: "Yeah, I guess. I was just going to go back to Kiara. She hasn't seen me all morning."

Pumbaa started walking towards me and joined me in my path, Timon placed on his head. Timon was chewing on something, something they called 'grubs' around here apparently. I knew them as filthy, disgusting, repulsive bugs. I didn't know how any mammal could eat those things, let alone a lion like Simba. But to each their own, right?

"What's eating you, kid?"

"Umm…"

"Nothing's eating you! You're at the top of the food chain!" Timon slapped his knee hardily and started laughing like there was no tomorrow. I looked slightly down to Pumbaa, to see him rolling his eyes in his head.

"Ahh… Ahh…" Timon wiped some tears from his eyes, attempting regain composure. I didn't know anyone who could laugh that hard at his own joke. "Nah but really, you okay kid?"

This was coming from someone I could feel the distrust emanating from it was so strong. He couldn't have really cared. "I've just been trying to adapt, you know?"

"You're always welcome to talk to us, Prince Kovu." Pumbaa slightly bowed as he walked after the comment was made.

But why was he calling me a prince? I hadn't even thought of being called that. It really didn't resound with me. "Just call me Kovu, Pumbaa. I'm no different than you." Actually a lot different.

"Sure you, are kid." Ahh. Here we go. Wisdom time, straight from the mouth of Timon himself. "You're a lion. Pumbaa is a warthog. The circle of life dictates that you can eat Pumbaa at any moment that you please. You just can't eat me."

I shook my head in disbelief. "And why can't I eat you, Timon?"

"Because it's survival of the fittest, Kovu." Then shouldn't he be eaten first? "Since I am much smarter and more agile than most meerkats, you would have to eat the dumb and slow ones first. Which means that I would have time to escape." He held out his hands in a defensive position, swinging them in the air in some failed self defense technique.

"Yup. You're completely right, Timon." I laughed. I guess they weren't so bad. Maybe my stay here could actually work out. You never know.

His name was Kitambi.

The name had been passed down to him from his wise and noble, but now deceased father, Gehenna. The second best king of the lands that were his home, his kingdom.

Kitambi was king of these lands. They were a fair land; The only problem was the lack of lionesses. Sure, there was his wife, Jaribu. But past that there were, what, four other lionesses? And one of them was sick. If there was going to be a successful pride, they would have to move on to better land soon. And he didn't even know where that land would be.

Kitambi was a dark lion, a lot like his father, and his grandfather before him. He was muscular from intense training, day after day, from his now deceased father. It had started with his old, ragged grandfather. He had come to the land in search of refuge, from being brutally beaten by his own pride members some days ago. He found refuge in a few rogue lionesses, who just couldn't let go of the land that they once called home, before their king had died. My grandfather mated with one of them, producing my father, who then produced me with another lioness. My grandfather had been a great king where he once ruled, but was overthrown by some other lion. It was rumored that that lion that overthrew him was not far from here, undoubtedly leading a kingdom mercilessly and cruelly. The nerve to attempt to kill such a great king baffled Kitambi.

It was sort of his mission to get this lion.

It wasn't a mission that was handed down from his grandfather, or even Gehenna, his father. His grandfather wanted Gehenna to grow up to make a great pride because, even though others thought differently, his grandfather felt as if he was in debt to the great 'circle of life' somehow. He wanted Gehenna to find other lionesses and make a pride paralleled by no other pride. So much for that plan…

His mission was to kill this lion that had attempted to kill him. Who would have the backbone to do such a horrid thing? His grandfather had come to these lands kind of old and beaten down, not a match for anyone. And some cowardly lion was going to take a kingdom from him in that state? That sounded horrible.

Sure, Gehenna, before he died only a few weeks ago, told Kitambi to give it up and start searching for new lionesses to make a pride. Maybe mate a few times to produce an heir to the 'throne'. But Kitambi was content on finding these rumored lands that had this cowardly lion in them, and take it over. It sounded crazy impossible, but not impossible with a great plan.

The king of these fair lands was sitting atop a small rock, scanning the horizon. To the left of his lands was a barren field of empty. It could be possible that these lands were just beyond those lands, but not likely in Kitambi's opinion. And then the land directly ahead and to the right were open for miles. Most likely for Kitambi, lions had already established kingdoms there. But his grandfather had said that these lands he used to rule were cut off from other lands in a way. They were some of the greatest lands that Kitambi would ever lay his eyes on, if he ever got the chance to go there and overthrow the ungrateful king. He didn't know where to even start. And with only six members in the entire pride, it was unlikely that they could split up and meet back in a few days. That was a crazy idea.

"We've caught a kill, Kitambi."

It was his wife, Jaribu again.

For now, he would eat…


	4. Ch4 Reflections

Humorous.

I sat there and stared at her. Sure, she was pretty. Kiara was smart, loyal, beautiful, understanding, and loveable… But I wasn't gonna give her props for her hunting talents. Honesty was the foundation of any long lasting relationship right? I mean not to be rude about it. Sure, I was pretty experienced at the whole hunting scene, but that was only because I withered away my whole entire child hood thus far on it. It wasn't fun, I had to admit. But it had made me what I am today, something that Kiara was surprisingly attracted to.

She started stalking the herd of gazelles, as I watched, not even a hundred meters away. It was amazing to me that I could blend into the grass easier than her, and I was pitch black. She was about to lose the kill, or possible kills. I could just tell. She made her first mistake right then and there by snapping a twig, allowing for a warning to resound through the small area. The gazelle ran for their lives from the princess predator, and by the time Kiara started to pounce, she had no hope left of catching anything. Not to mention the fact that her running wasn't the fastest I had ever seen…

It took her forever to walk back to me, panting harder than me after five hunts. Man, she was out of shape. But I loved her regardless.

"Did… I do good?" She asked, hanging her head low.

"Head up, there's more air the higher you go up. Breathe with your head up." I paused and took out my paw, forcing her head up a little. We were at eye level now as I stood up. "Better though," I lied.

"Really?" She was excited beyond belief.

"No," I smirked. I gave her an innocent look. She rolled her eyes at me.

"Thanks for the support, Kovu."

I laughed hysterically at her, bringing her closer at the same time. It was so easy to be with her. There were no expectations with her, no disappointments, no awkward feelings, no pent up feelings… It was perfect. "Anytime babe. Anytime."

We proceeded merely go on with small talk for a few minutes before Kiara gave up on hunting altogether. We started heading back to Pride Rock slowly, not needing to hurry. All that we needed was right beside us both.

"So what'd you and my dad talk about yesterday morning?"

There was the question. Just redirected. Or it was the question that was going to lead to that same question. What's wrong? "We just talked. You know, we just cleared the air." Hopefully she wouldn't ask for me to go into detail…

"Oh. Did you guys apologize or something?"

"Something along the lines of that." She smiled at me with beaming blue eyes, looking almost cartoonish.

"Good. I'm glad everything's worked out like this the past few days."

"How's that?"

"Well…" she started, trying to gather her thoughts for a second. "You saved me from that fire…"

"That I was responsible for."

She rolled her eyes at me. "The past is the past, Kovu. Anyways… I'm just glad, you know?"

"Go on, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt…" She was so wise beyond her years. It more than made up for her lack of basic hunting skills, if not overcompensating.

"I'm just ecstatic. I've never felt the way I feel now for anyone ever, and I know I won't feel it for anyone else ever again except you. That's the greatest feeling ever. Before you I was starting to get… lost. I know what you're thinking, what does Kiara know about being lost? She grew up in the Pride Lands…"

"I wasn't thinking that." I stopped, and she realized a few steps later, reversing her tracks to sit by me. We were now only a few hundred feet away from Pride Rock.

"I know you weren't. But I'm just trying to get a point across." She laughed to herself. "You wanna know something corny? Don't laugh…"

"I wouldn't laugh at you, Kiara. Whatever you say is gold to me, honest."

She chuckled, the way she always did. The way that made Kovu beam with happiness inside. "Every time I'd look at my reflection in the water…" Now this was something I was gonna be able to relate to. I could already tell. "Every time I'd look, for my whole childhood, my reflection looked like I was only half there. Either the sun was in a certain position, or there was shade, but either the left or right side of my face was all missing. Every time I'd look, without fail. That's why when I finally found you in those sand dunes… And when we saw our reflection? When you're half of your face completed mine? It was like a sign." She chuckled again. "I know it sounds silly…"

"It doesn't sound silly at all." Now it was my turn for some confessing, I supposed. "Every time I would see my reflection I would see Scar. Staring right back at me."  
>She looked at me with those convicting eyes. Those blue eyes that I had fallen in love with. She understood everything I was going through at that moment, and I understood everything she was going through. We were truly one.<p>

She placed her paw on top of mine. They contrasted so much… My paw was dark, huge, ragged, and hardened. Hers was light, slender, smooth, and soft. We were polar opposites, yet we made it perfectly work so far. "I can only imagine what you went through. What you're probably going through." It was better that she figured it out. I really didn't feel like telling her what I felt, that I didn't feel adequate. That I didn't deserve any of the things given to me. I mean, these thoughts were lessening day after day, but they were still there. I think they were never to go away.

"But just know that people like me love you. And there is _no_ darkness inside you. Only Kovu."

…

Kitambi stretched after his long, well deserved nap. Deserved in the essence that he, even though being male, had to constantly help hunt for dinner. There were only five lionesses, he being sixth in the loosely coined term 'pride'. And, unfortunately for him, three were good as retarded. They were good at listening, sure, but hunting wasn't their strong suit. Or thinking, for that matter.

Jaribu was one of the greater lionesses. The other capable one's name was Hatari, but she wasn't anyone he'd mate with. He was a picky lion, and if he didn't have to choose at all, he wouldn't even have picked Jaribu. It was just a matter of fact, whether it be a cruel fact or not.

He surveyed his land. Where had it all gone downhill? The land was beautiful, sure. But after Gehenna had left the land, the land just didn't make sense to live in. It was big and beautiful, up for the taking by any pride that paced past it, truthfully. And a pride of six was no match for another pride, which would probably have around twenty lionesses, if it were decent. They had to move on to other lands, maybe join another pride. Sure, Kitambi would miss being king. But king of five lionesses, three of them becoming convincingly more disabled by the day, wasn't that big of a task to accomplish. It got annoying after awhile, having to explain himself five times, again and again, just to get a point across. They tried, sure. But after awhile, trying isn't enough…

Kitambi jumped down from his rock, or 'pedestal', as Gehenna used to call it. The nickname had a ring to it, sure. Kitambi was deep in thought, not surprisingly. A lot had happened recently, from the death of three lionesses to the death of Gehenna, obviously crippling the 'pride'. But Kitambi knew something great. That he, Hatari, and Jaribu were probably some of the most able lions in all the lands, and that if he ever found the pride that had done all the evil things to his grandfather, that they could easily take the whole pride out, from the inside.

A king that had to resort to attempting to kill a creature as frail and out of shape and old as my grandfather had been couldn't have been a strong one. Kitambi was one smart lion, he had to even admit. He had the knowledge from his grandfather and Gehenna combined, along with left and right experiences that both gave him knowledge and strength. He was ready for anything that life was to throw at him.

The only thing that scared Kitambi was the fact that his grandfather could have been making the whole thing up. What if it was just a legend, so that he didn't seem too weak? Kitambi would've made up a similar story if he were in that situation…

No. He wouldn't lie…

The whole pride had been born basically out of the morals of Taka. And it would stay that way…

…


	5. Ch5 Split

"I was never disappointed in you."

Relief for the first time in the four short years I had lived.

He had come back, after abandoning me and Zira for countless days and nights. After abandoning what he believed altogether as a lion. He had survived this whole time… It would've been great if he had come back sooner. But who was I to ruin the moment?

"You… You mean that, Scar?"

He looked right into my eyes. Those dark green, unforgiving eyes. "I mean it, Kovu."

"But…" I stammered, trying to collect my thoughts. "But, I abandoned the mission. I fell in love with the enemy's _daughter_. I abandoned you even…"

"Nonsense. You were always the most loyal, out of Nuka, Vitani… Even Zira herself, Kovu."

I jumped inside for joy. For all those years of training that I was aspiring to become him, for all those years of trying to live up to those unreasonable expectations. For all that time that I had plotted to kill Simba right in his home lands, it had all been rewarded with just a simple sentence.

"Kovu, how you've grown…"

I puffed my chest out and smiled. "Thanks… I trained for so many years trying to…"

He cut me off in the middle of my reply. "We need not relive the past." He paused, sighing a little. "We need plan for the future, but not relive the past."

"What do you mean?" I asked, unsure of what he meant. All I was sure of was the fact that I was encompassed by the lion who I looked up to as a father figure. He seemed wise beyond any comparison, even wiser than Simba himself. He seemed to be a gentle, yet stern lion, one who could be ideal as the king of the Pride Lands. It wasn't adding up on Simba's part…

"I mean the fact that you're going to be king. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I made, Kovu."

"What mistakes did you make?"

He didn't hesitate at the question, as if he had prepared for the question minutes before. "I was too gentle. The lionesses rode all over me and… eventually I lost grip. The place turned into a desert because the lionesses were too lazy, they were too smart for their own good. If you're going to be king…"

I had never heard his side of the story before. I wanted more information. "I have to be stern. Simba told me…"

"Simba probably told you of how horrible a king I was. Sure, the lionesses were going to make sure it looked that way. But honestly, I tried. I gave a conscious effort. And about the only lioness that stayed true to Mufasa in the end by obeying me was Zira. So when Simba attempted to kill me… It didn't make any sense to her. Would it to you?"

I shook my head. "I guess not. But…" I didn't want to anger Scar, after only spending minutes with him so far. "But, how is Simba such a good leader?"

Scar laughed for a few moments. How could Simba lie to me? Scar never attempted anything…

"He's a good leader because the lionesses know now what not to do. But if you take it from my view, then you'd take into account that a new generation of lionesses have taken over, and soon, they will adapt the same habits. They are truly a selfish pride…"

I nodded. "Simba told me so differently…"

Scar seemed hurt. I quickly tried to change his feelings by changing the subject, yet he persisted. "Simba was told horrible rumors by one of them. Nala herself. I mean, Simba had abandoned the Pride Lands for his whole childhood, plus another year! Some king he was destined to be…

"In the end of it all, he just believed what he was told I guess. Even though time after time I tried to tell him what the truth was. He did, after all, kill his own father."

"Umm…" I stammered. "What?"

He chuckled again. The way Simba did, but Scar's chuckle was much more… sinister? "Long story short I suppose, Simba was a trouble maker. Mufasa tried to save Simba, and ended up dying because of it."

"Oh no…"

Kovu heard another voice directly behind him.

It was none other than Simba.

"Oh, it's my nephew Simba. What a pleasant surprise."

Simba snarled at me. "How could you even talk to the traitor?"

I had had enough of this. "How could you even lie to me? _He's the traitor?_" I stuck out my claws at Simba, in effect telling him that I wasn't fooling around.

"Kill him…"

…

"Kovu!"

It was a whisper, but a loud one. Right in my ear, too. A feminine, yet older voice…

I opened my eyes. All I saw were the den walls, and lionesses everywhere. Kiara had a paw on his, sound asleep, stirring only once. The only spot that was missing was the one next to Simba. I turned over to see his mate, looking worriedly at me.

"You must have been having a really bad dream…"

Was it a dream? I decided it was… I couldn't hate Simba. Scar _had_ to be the enemy, right? None of that could ever happen… He was dead!

"Yeah."

She thought for a moment, looking up to the ceiling, then back down at my face. "C'mon. Let's talk. I can't sleep for the life of me either."

It was hard to make my way with her outside and onto the slope of Pride Rock, darting around the lionesses the way he had a few mornings before. The morning I should have just told Kiara the truth, the truth about who I really was. Nala must have been good at this or something, as she made it out a good thirty seconds before me, waiting for me at the edge of the slope.

I sat down beside her, and she proceeded to speak:

"I never sleep well anymore. Not since Simba came to save us from Scar."

How ironic.

I felt apologetic towards her. I had to completely shun my dream… It was just a dream, that was it. Nothing more, nothing less. "I'm sorry you had to live through all that." She didn't speak for a second, as if collecting her thoughts. Out of nowhere, I said, "I'm sorry if I remind you of him…"

She shook her head viciously. "Don't say that Kovu. If anything I'm glad you're here. You're the only one that has made my daughter happy for the past two years. Simba made sure she never explored very far, never had the most eventful childhood…"

That was what she must have meant by lost. "I know but…" It was no use what I was feeling. But I still couldn't help feeling it. "I'm just so sorry, Nala. I almost followed him…"

She just laughed. As if mocking the thoughts I was having. "Kovu, you need to be less critical." She looked up at the night stars. "You're just like Simba, actually."

I smiled a little at the comment. "I could only wish for that."

"Hey, Simba has his moments," she said, in the same soothing tone she always spoke in. "He exiled you without even hearing your side of the story. He was way too overprotective of Kiara. He exiled you as a cub…"

That was an awkward thing to bring up. I didn't really know how to respond to her. I just looked up at the night sky with her, smiling as I saw the bunny that Kiara pointed to that first night with her. The first night I had ever had these compassionate feelings for another lion. A great feeling overall.

"You'll be just as great a king. If not better, Kovu. Don't worry."

I wanted to believe her. I wanted to believe the fact that if I just forgot about the past, that nothing evil would ever come up again. But that was an immature route to take, in my opinion. The past always came to haunt me, and I deserved it that way. I definitely deserved it that way. I would mess up so many times as king of the Pride Lands… Something inside me wished Kiara could find another mate and that I could run away, past the Outlands, past whatever else was out there. Whether it be desert for another thousand miles.

But now I had an obligation to her. I loved her, and now he had grown to the fact that she loved me back. And it was a great feeling, whether deserved on my part or not. I would be leaving too much behind, whether it be for the good of Simba's pride or not. Whether it be for the good of me or not.

She looked at me apologetically. "You not in a talking mood? You need to go back to bed? Sorry if I woke you, I didn't wanna see you suffer through such a dream, you know?"

I snapped out of the deep thoughts I had been in. "No, I was just… thinking. I like talking."

"Well what are you thinking of, if you don't mind?"

It was no use lying to her. But then I would have told two people about my thoughts… I didn't really tell Simba that much at all, though. No, it was only like telling one person. Or one and a half, I supposed. "I just know I don't deserve it, that's all."

This was about as far as I had gotten with Simba. "Kovu, don't be stupid. If anyone deserves it, it's you."

I shook my head in disagreement. "I'm glad you think so." I wanted to get it off my chest, not let the thoughts eat away at me any longer. Or at least eat away at me while no one knew. "Sometimes I just wanna… Wanna run away, so that Kiara will never be disappointed with what I'll become. With what I _know_ I'll become."

She sighed immediately. "I can only imagine the adjustments you're making right now. But just know that thoughts like those shouldn't be gone through alone. If you ever need anyone, anyone at all to talk to, just know that I'm here. I know that there are things you'd rather tell someone else that Kiara… I understand that. I'll always lend an ear if you need it."

This was obviously where Kiara got her kind soul from. "Thanks Nala. I appreciate it, I really do." I appreciated it, but… It didn't help much, honestly.

"I won't tell anyone about our little chat, either. But Kovu…" She gave me that worried stare again, as if she was kind of like the mother I had never had. "Don't think things like that. Scar will never be apart of you, and you will never be Scar. If I could see him, I'd kill him for what he's doing to you mentally right now."

I sure would too…

…

Kitambi sighed.

"So we will leave tomorrow, I suppose. We can no longer stay here as we have been."

One of the lesser lionesses, Apollo, spoke up. "But why?"

Wasn't it obvious enough? Jaribu and Hatari sure knew what he was talking about… "Because we're too easy of a target here." That and his personal vendetta with a lion that may or may not have existed…

"How?"

"Must I explain everything?" He snapped, immediately regaining his cool. Losing his cool with the lionesses would only lead to trouble, he had learned from experience. "This land is perfect for the taking, and if a neighboring pride knew we were only six strong, then they would surely take us over. So we must move on in the hopes that we will find more suitable land, and be able to find other lions that could accept us into their pride. It would be the only way to continue what we had formed this pride on."

Hatari rolled her eyes at Kitambi, obviously annoyed. "And just what was this whole _pride_ founded on?"

It was a question that was deserved to be asked in any case. "It was formed off the ideals of our great lost king, Taka. My grandfather. You all very well know this."

At least the three lesser lionesses had no room to think for themselves, and had basically adopted these morals for themselves without a second thought. These ideals were far from right, and were extremely one sided. But it gave Kitambi enough to go on for his personal vendetta, enough to blind the other lionesses into going with him.

At this point, though, Kitambi was desperate to avenge his grandfather. Whether it made any sense or not, and whether it even had any possibility of being true or not, it was literally all the lion had left to live for. The dumber lionesses had something to live for through him. Hatari shouldn't have had the will to not leave the pride, but probably enjoyed the feeling of being superior in comparison to the other lionesses. And finally, Jaribu also could only live through him, he knew this well. And that was why the stakes couldn't have been any higher at this point.

But where to go?  
>"So where are we gonna go, then, king?" It was slightly sarcastic, but well deserved. Hatari looked at him impatiently, hoping to have stumped him and show to the others that the plan was stupid, to leave the very place that they had lived for countless time at.<p>

She had basically read his mind: "Well there's only one way to look at it. We get attacked by the prides that neighbor this area, or go across the lands to the left of us in hope of finding something past it."

Hatari's jaw literally dropped. "How do we even know the neighboring prides would be harmful? This is so stupid…"

"Hey!" He yelled, getting tired of her constant inconsideration. "Whose king here? You remember what Taka and Gehenna had always said. We were, and are still, in constant danger from neighboring prides…"

"You're not making any sense! Why don't you think for yourself for once, Kitambi! You're smarter than taking advice from dead lions…"

"Hatari, I don't see why you don't just leave yourself then. Go ahead."

The entire pride went silent, even though a silence between merely six lions wasn't something too dramatic. She went silent; For some reason, Kitambi knew that Hatari would never leave.

"Exactly. We leave at dawn."


	6. Ch6 Collision

It was still Scar…

I looked up from the water hole, satisfied with my thirst. Scar was still there, on the surface of the replenishing water, unforgiving and menacing as ever. I didn't know when he'd just leave me alone, but if it wasn't soon, I honestly didn't know what I'd do anymore…

I looked around a little, back at Pride Rock after a full spin. There was Nala and Simba, getting some information from Zazu, who had just landed on the top of the sloping stone. The bird was pretty annoying in general. At least, I thought so. No one calls me riff-raff and gets to live it off like nothing happened…

I heard something behind me. Not too far behind me, but just maybe twenty or so yards… And it was approaching readily. Something that obviously didn't know how to hunt for its life…

I ducked as the creature pounced, missing by a clear foot anyways, regardless if I had ducked or not.

"Wow! I've never done that bad before…"

I shook my head in disbelief. "Did you _stumble_ out of the wound?"

She gave me a mean look. I laughed at her attempt to be serious: "I mean, the first time I even laid my eyes on you, you literally stumbled onto me. I mean straight up fell, Kiara."

She chuckled. "I remember that so well… Hey, you fell down too! Don't give me that!"

"Because you knocked me right over! I didn't even hear you… Pretty hard to believe that I didn't hear you coming for miles, actually. Wow."

She stood up. "Well regardless… What's the plan for today?" She jumped around a little, obviously excited for something. She was always so excited to go out and do things, to make use of the days she had in the Pride Lands. It must've been great to finally have someone to do things with, too, having grown up basically the only cub in the Pride Lands. I knew a few cubs joined the pride way later on, when Kiara was almost done maturing, but from what I got from them, they weren't that fun anyway. Not a lot of the lionesses were very energetic around here… They did the most they needed for survival, which, since it was so much easier than in the Outlands, didn't entitle them to do much…

"What's there to do around here anyways?" I asked, not expecting much of an answer anyways. The land was amazing, and I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else, to tell the truth. But while I was being honest, I had to admit it was a bit boring. And I was almost never bored in the Outlands. Not necessarily because of fun, but at least it was _something_.

"Well, we could try hunting again…"

"Don't you wanna take a break?" I asked, wanting that to be the last thing we did today. She wasn't about to make a breakthrough anytime soon in that department.

"I figured that much. We could go exploring where I couldn't before… I mean we're both adults, right?"

I liked that idea better than any she had said. "That sounds fun. Is that the best thing we could do?"

"I mean, today probably. All my friends are sleeping anyways. And there've been a few stupid idle problems here, so my dad's not gonna notice at all. He actually trusts that you won't get me into trouble, so we're good."

Trust was a good thing to have with Simba, I admitted. "Alright. Let's go right now…" I started walking forward a little. "And when are your friends ever not sleeping, Kiara?"

She laughed at me, pouncing forward slightly to catch up the lost few yards. "Exactly. So I guess that answered your question…"

We spent a good thirty minutes slowly walking towards the Outland borders, just reminiscing on our childhoods. I was attentive when I listened to her stories of being scolded by Simba, of her countless attempts to explore the Pride Lands, but always being caught by Timon and Pumbaa. She listened to the little parts I gave her, but I only told her the good parts. I didn't want anyone at all to give me sympathy, whether it be my own mate or not. It wasn't something I responded well to at all. She thought she wanted my childhood aside from hers… If only she really knew.

"Well here we are." She looked forward, breaking eye contact with me. She gasped suddenly. "Oh my God, Kovu!"

She darted forward. I sighed and followed her, not knowing what she was doing. "What?" I yelled ahead.

She suddenly stopped at the end of a massive log, connecting the Outlands with the Pride Lands, over a watery drop. "This is where I first tripped and found you!"

I laughed at her. "Found me? Don't make yourself look good Kiara…"

She looked at my face and rolled her eyes at me playfully. "C'mon… I doubt my dad'll even care. The way I see it, there are no more outsiders, right? So no danger's even possible!"

That was true. I knew too well that Kiara hadn't come to the Outlands for the years he had not seen her because she wasn't allowed to. At all. And if Kovu had tried to see her in the Pride Lands, he was as good as dead back then. It was a little screwed up that Simba would have killed me as no more than a cub back then. But I guess I couldn't blame him after all that had happened.

"You're always right, Kiara." She brushed up against me and then proceeded ahead, leading the way across the log.

She got across first and looked back at me, as I cautiously jumped off. "Spooky, huh?"

I laughed at her solemnly. "Oh yeah. Especially since such a great person left it only a week ago."

She chuckled back at me, like a little kid, almost. I could tell she felt safe with me at least… "Who, Zira? She was a bright soul…"

"Very funny, Kiara," I said sarcastically, shaking my head as I said it. "Very funny."

It had only been yesterday that I had that talk with Nala, and I was truly grateful. She had really cleared some things up after I told her what was up with me this whole time. She actually had the trust in me to tell me the whole story of Simba, her life with Scar, and other personal things, like the death of her mother, even. But after that, the day had gone… Rather uneventful, to say the least. I hung out with Kiara, and she did another lame attempt at hunting. But past that, if every day was going to go by like this… I couldn't wait to be king then, even if I would ruin the whole Pride Lands in the process. Just more mental proof that I shouldn't be given the opportunity…

So this was a step forward, I supposed. "So what're we going to do, then?"

She looked around. "Explore? As long as I'm with you it'll always be fun…"

That much was true, at least. To an extent. It then dawned on me that I never actually explored that far. I never knew what could possibly be even a few hundred yards away from the Outlands. Zira had always kept me from going anywhere at all, I had to always be in her sight. Or at least in Nuka's sight, who would be severely punished if we went too far out, or if he lost me. "Why don't we just walk for a while? I've never actually been that far out…"

"Really? I thought you would have known these lands like the back of your paw." She gave me a toothy grin, her eyes piercing right through me.

We walked for a while. What seemed like at least an hour, in my opinion. We weren't any closer to new land, or at least land that was habitable to the likes of Kiara. We had seen a couple of cool sites, like a few really deep gorges, and some weirdly shaped rock structures, but other than that… Nothing. There truly was nothing out here.

We were in the middle of one of those thoughtless conversations when I heard footsteps. I had a knack for hearing those things from far distances. After all, I had been trained by such a crazed lioness for so many years previously. The steps couldn't have been more than a hundred yards out of reach, just out of sight with the slight dust that covered most of these lands.

"…And Timon was so mad that day. He didn't expect for me to be a chick, which in hindsight kind hurt my feelings…"

"Shh! Get behind this rock," I warned her, unintentionally cutting her off from her rambling. We both slowly got behind a pretty huge rock as I realized that the steps were definitely coming this way, at a slow, but steady pace.

She didn't think twice about following every word I said. "What's happening? Are we okay, Kovu?" She whispered softly as she could into my ear.

I barely breathed as I waited for the steps to come nearer, as they progressively did. "Don't talk… Someone's coming. I don't want anything to happen to us…"

She didn't talk again, understanding completely.

They were some of the most tense moments of my life, actually. Any other time, judging from the lack of apparent steps, meaning that there couldn't be more than five or so of them, I would've just gone on and pressed my luck. I could take down any enemy I wished, basically. My childhood wasn't wasted, I could tell you that much at least. But this time it was more than just me. It was Kiara, the entire future of the Pride Lands. There was so much on the lion if these creatures would be hostile. And from the looks of the Outlands, there shouldn't have been any luck pressing anyways.

They approached finally, breaking the line of visibility.

There were five lionesses, and one lion. The lion was about my size, but I could probably easily take him on if it came to that. He had half the muscular definition I had. But two of the lionesses surrounding him looked more than capable, both of them having those same structures and looks like Nala, who was more than competent. The other three seemed incompetent, to say the least, looking around the fog like idiots.

I looked over to see Kiara slightly frightened, yet still retaining her composure. She was so strong, considering the situation. There was never any telling what might happen. One of the two Nala-like lionesses spoke up:

"Kitambi, do you have any idea…"

"You aren't gonna help the situation if you keep complaining, Hatari! Please stop!" He stopped the group for a second, looking menacingly at the lioness. "Why can't you be like Jaribu and just shut up!"

It seemed as if their nerves were more on the high end. They could have been wandering for days by the tone of their voices, desperate by any marks. "Jaribu's your mate! Wow, Kitambi, get ahold of yourself. We're hopelessly lost. Your grandfather lied again…"

"Again?" He seemed lost, defeated almost. "What did he do the first time, Hatari? Enlighten us all…"

"Really? That whole kingship story? That was so false, you even know it. I don't know why I haven't just left yet…"

The lion, obviously named Kitambi, shook his head. "Then leave. I know you won't, but go ahead, entertain us." He walked further ahead, leaving her in the dust momentarily. The other four lionesses followed him closely, before the last lioness, whose name must have been Hatari, finally decided to follow him again.

I waited until they walked maybe fifty yards past us. "We're good now…" I whispered to Kiara, smiling.

"Who was that? Do you know, babe?"

"No… no idea." I got up slowly, trying to not make much noise at all. "But they're desperate, and heading towards the Pride Lands. Which is where we're probably supposed to be right now."

She agreed, slowly getting up, trying not to make much noise. "We should take a different route home, I hope we don't bump into them."

I nodded. "Let's go."


	7. Ch7 Arrivals

Ironic?

I was running home to the Pride Lands to tell Simba of an oncoming threat. Not only would that threat supposed to be me, but in any other situation, I would've let the Pride Lands be taken. I was Kovu, Scar's heir. The one that was supposedly killed by Simba… The situation had changed dramatically, yeah. But it was still ironic.

"We're almost there… I think we can walk," I said to Kiara, seeing that she had tired out long ago. We had to be somewhat quiet anyways. "Good job back there staying quiet though."

She caught her breath for a moment. "Thanks. Who were those guys?"

I shook my head. "I have no idea." I walked ahead, nudging her to come with me. "C'mon though, we have to keep going. We gained some distance but we still wanna have time to warn your father."

She followed me for what seemed a shorter time than it took to venture from the log. She was a little shaken, but I had to remind her of the fact that we had no idea what the lions were up to. They could have just been wanderers, but from the looks of their conversation, it looked like they had a purpose.

We were at Pride Rock in no time at all actually. I was first to approach Simba, talking with Nala atop the slope.

"Kovu… Why are you panting? Where is Kiara?" He asked in a worried tone, trying to hide his concern.

I was panting kind of hard, I had to admit. "She's close behind. I went ahead of her. I have to tell you something…"

He looked at me expectantly. I continued. "Me and Kiara were in the Outlands…"

"You took her in the Outlands, Kovu?" His voice was stern and commanding.

"I'm sorry, your highness. We weren't thinking…"

"Is she hurt?"

"No… nothing like that honestly. We were walking around the Outlands when we saw a group of… rogues. They were heading this way, they didn't seem like a friendly bunch."

He looked concerned now, and looked at Nala with a knowing look. "How many is a group?"

I looked down at the ground, disappointed in myself for the fact that I had probably disobeyed Simba. I had took his only daughter into the unsafe and treacherous Outlands… "If I remember right, six. Five lionesses, one of them leading the rest. Like a really small pride."

Simba growled. "Nala, gather the lionesses. Kovu, make sure Kiara is safe. How far were they?"

I reasoned where they might be. "Probably approaching the border by now. You might wanna hurry if they're dangerous."

Nala left hurriedly, entering the den, where a few lionesses were, chowing down on a mid afternoon meal of gazelle. I left Simba, who continued to just stand there, with his head turned towards the direction of the Outlands, undoubtedly trying to spot something.

Kiara was just at the base of Pride Rock, panting profusely. "Kovu!"

I ran down to her and nuzzled her, missing her company after only a few minutes of being away. "Kiara. I told Simba, it's all gonna be okay."

"I'm not really that worried. If they're hostile, then I know my strong man could get them…"

I looked into her longing eyes, then turned away. "You stay here when I go with the lionesses to go meet with them. Guard Pride Rock. I don't want you getting hurt…"

"Oh, please," she said sarcastically. "I can tag along if I wanted to Kovu… You're sounding just like my father. I'll be fine. But yes, I'll stay behind."

I smiled at her. She always knew what to say. She always would.

…

Kitambi started laughing.

He wasn't sure if it was from disillusion, or if he was really that ecstatic that he had proved Hatari wrong and had found a new land. He wasn't sure if it was the Pride Lands, if he would find that lion that betrayed his grandfather, if his grandfather had even existed, if Gehenna's mane was really that beautiful, if the sun didn't know how to smile so weakly…

I mean, it was all four hundred five of them, right?

Hatari spoke up: "Now what're we gonna do? Just wait, your majesty?" She obviously meant it in a narcissistic way.

"No. Now we deploy the… the…" Kitambi looked around, obviously about to heat stroke. He was exhausted; His mind was far from straight. "The cheetas! They'll easily overthrow Taka and…"

` "What's he saying?" one of the dumber lionesses asked Hatari.

"He's being disillusioned. He'll be fine in a few minutes, we just needa find him water. He's not thinking straight…"

"Straight? No, I didn't just eat all of those carcasses for the three of you to find my mother not rambling about what am I saying?"

Jaribu chuckled. She led him to a nearby river.

Jaribu and Hatari looked up: They were in front of a pretty large, rock wall, with grass at the top. They were above a log of some sort, that basically contrasted the two worlds. One was hellish, sparse of food, and barren. The other was lush, heavenly, and full of gazelle, antelope, and wildebeest. Hatari's favorite. After Jaribu helped her mate drink up some water, Kitambi sat down, a little more in his right mind than previously.

"I told you so… Doubted me all the way here."

Hatari looked her king directly in the eyes and rolled hers, to directly show her annoyed state of mind. "Well we still have no plan of approaching these lands…"

Kitambi stood up. "So we leave for better lands and to join another pride. And we make it. So you still treat me like I'm lesser than you? I am your king!" He put emphasis on the word king, in an attempt to stand up to the lioness that defied him time after time. If it wasn't for one thing, it was surely going to be for another. And he knew that all too well. "I've given you the option to run every single step of the way. Again, I offer it."

Hatari shook her head. "You're still just dehydrated. Drink some water…"

He didn't have to be told twice, bending down for some more water from the slightly murky water. It wasn't the best water, but it had to be way better than no water at all. He didn't even know what he was thinking a few minutes ago. After a few sips, he spoke up again. "Well we're not gonna get anywhere just resting here. Let's find a way up there."

It only took a few minutes for them to find their way up to the top of the gorge, where they were greeted by sun and the tranquility of a serene lands. Could it have been… the lands his grandfather had promised him? The Pride Lands?

…

"I see some of them, right up ahead! Let's not look too oppressive, let's just figure out why they're here." Simba lessened the pace of his walk, with me at his side. His predecessor by marriage, I, Kovu. Simba didn't wanna make any problems, I understood that. It wasn't like I wasn't used to fighting my way through things. I could easily take the pride by myself, and maybe one other skilled lioness. Outnumbered one to three easily… But who was I kidding? I could probably take all six. I was a cold blooded, worthless killer anyways…

The lionesses followed Simba diligently, and finally it seemed as if the pride of six noticed us, the leader, who I guessed at this point was named Kitambi, staring at Simba curiously. As we neared them, only a few yards away, Simba called out:

"Who are you all, trespassing on these lands?" The call wasn't confronting, just questioning. I respected the king madly, for the way he kept his composure during events like these. I would've started with the name calling and sorts as a first option. It just continued to shock me that I hadn't hurt Kiara yet, actually.

"I'm sorry, your highness." Kitambi bowed slightly. "I am Kitambi, king of our pride. You see…"

"Why are you here?" Simba cut Kitambi off, eyeing him up for size. Simba could have easily taken on Kitambi, but a few of the lionesses behind him looked skilled, to say the least. Fighters like Nala had been, like Kiara would hopefully be. Eh, who am I kidding? I loved Kiara but…

"We are here to find refuge from our old lands. You see, we were in threat of death and invasion at almost every bound. We thought, as such a lesser pride of only six, that we could maybe find lands with a pride that would accept us as we are. So that we wouldn't be turned to rogues…"

Simba looked the strangers up and down once more, not knowing what to say. "And how could we possibly do to know you were… Safe?"

Kitambi smirked. "That's something I didn't think about I guess…"

Zazu, as he always did in the most perfect situations, fluttered down. "You may want to give them a chance, sire. Because if we don't, what pride would?"

Simba understood being the outsider in this situation. Even more than him, so did I. We were no strangers to needing acceptance, and it would've been the right thing to do, right? "If you guys do anything to anyone, all six of you are good as gone, just so you know. I'm not going to turn any of you down."

Nala smiled at Simba toothily.


	8. Ch8 Arrangment

He was actually a lot like… me? I don't know if that was a good thing or a bad point, but it somehow helped me out a lot. He was a little more ignorant than me, but then again, I know most are. The only lion that could even try to battle me was Simba. I wasn't being arrogant or cocky, I just knew what I had, and I had no intentions of hiding it. It was just gonna be used for defending now, I guess. Not being on the offensive side of the battle. That was… dumb? It didn't seem dumb to me only a week ago, but a lot had changed since then, that was for sure.

"You really got a lot going for you right now then, I guess," Kitambi said, looking down at the his reflection in the crystal clear pool.

"Yeah. I mean it's far from perfect but…" I looked down too. I saw one, and only one person. Myself. Kovu. I smirked. "But it'll definitely work."

Kitambi looked up as soon as I did, and we both met at eye level. He was a dark lion, like me. The only difference was that his face wasn't ugly, like mine was. Mine had a scar across it, and ugly reminder of who I once was. Who I will never escape from, but can at least enjoy the run from. He must have been focusing on the same stuff I was focusing on: "And how'd you get that scar?"

I had told him the story of Scar, as was passed down to me from Simba. The one that was actually true, not the lies and deceit Zira forced into my brain. I had gotten all the way through, save for some minor details. Then I told him about the whole Kiara and Simba incident only days previous. Through it all he seemed so intent on listening. He kept asking question after question. It wasn't like me to spill stories or feelings to others; I didn't need the pity. Pity was for people without a spine, which I knew I had. If it was one thing I was glad that my mother had taught me, it had been to stay strong.

"Well, my mother gave it to me right after Nuka died. She blamed the entire thing on me in the end, and I almost believed her. Without meeting Kiara I would've killed Simba if it were for her. She was pure evil, just like Scar was."

Kitambi nodded. He was silent all of a sudden, like there was something he wasn't telling me. I spoke up: "You have a story, Kitambi?" He seemed like he'd have a history. He was a pretty muscular lion, I had to admit. He wasn't much smaller than me, and in a match against us, he might have a chance. Sure, I'd come out in the end, but I had to admit, it could be a challenge. And the few lionesses he brought into the Pride Lands seemed stronger than any lioness I had ever seen.

"Well, it's not really much of a story. That's basically it. I had a pretty boring life up until now. My grandfather basically founded our pride. He was really a great man, my grandfather. He had been through a lot, that was for sure. He had my dad, Gehenna, who recently died."

I grimaced for him I could vouch for recently losing family members. "I'm sorry Kitambi…"

"Don't be. It was just apart of life, right? No changing what can't be changed, so I don't fret over anything."

I smiled. I liked the kid. "You know, you and me are pretty alike."

He laughed at that thought. Maybe he didn't wanna be like me, because I sure know that I wouldn't. "Is that so?"

I nodded, waiting for him to continue his story. "And it was boredom from there on. We became a pride of six eventually, and we had to move. Maybe to join another pride, like this one. Even though I'm meant to be a king because of my descent, I'm fine with just fitting in here. You look much more fitting to control."

Now that had to be a lie. I looked like a monster. Anything that had even a close resemblance to Scar had to be a monster inside. This lion obviously had a way with words or something, and although I had to be wary, I couldn't deny the fact that we had basically the same morals. Maybe I was being hard on myself… Ugh. "Really?" I muttered.

He looked at me and smirked. "Yeah. I take it you don't think so, do you? Why are you so hard on yourself?"

Did it really show? Wow, Kovu, here we go. Someone's gonna show pity for you because you were too much of a weak lion to just shove your emotions to the side. Emotions can't hurt me. "Nah, it's… nothing. Honestly."

The next thing surprised me. He patted me on the shoulder with his paw, nearly as massive as mine. "It'll me alright. You went through a lot. I know you probably want a fresh view, away from these people who didn't accept you at first. I'm here if you need it."

It really did make sense. Kitambi wasn't apart of the Pridelanders at first, and he had a fresh perspective. We were so alike it was scary. He actually listened to my story, and knew me. Maybe this would be the start of a great friendship…

…

"Well he's way cuter than you Kitambi, I'll admit. Maybe we'll just kill Kiara and I'll have him for myself… Such a guy shouldn't just go to waste on such an ugly lioness. She is weak…" Hatari spit on the ground.

Kitambi shook his head.

It was just him, his loyal mate, Jaribu, and Hatari. The three of them were near a tree in the Pride lands, a good deal away from Pride Rock, and away from the watchful eyes of the lionesses. And especially Simba.

"You'll be lucky if my first action as king isn't to exile you, Hatari. I don't even know why you're here sometimes…" He paced a little bit, looking cautiously in either direction. The last thing he wanted to do was to be noticed, even by the other three members of his 'pride'. They would surely have not even half the wit and tell one of the Pridelanders, and then the plan could only go downhill from there.

"I'm just saying. Maybe he should be king then."

"Stop Hatari. I bring you to the lion that Taka promised us was alive, and you doubted me every step of the way. I bring you right to him, in the flesh, and have you accepted into his pride. I plan to give you so many rights when I become king, and you treat me like a second rate…"

"Oh quit your whining!" Jaribu giggled at her friend's discontent towards her mate. "Be lucky you have a lioness like Jaribu even. So how are we going to do this? Just go up to Simba? We're so outnumbered…"

"That'd be dumb," Jaribu chimed in, backing her mate up. "I know my Kitambi's smarter than that."

Kitambi thought for a second, relishing any moment that he had from Hatari's constant criticism. "Basically I have a rough outline of a plan."

"Oh of course. Not a real one…"

"Shut up!" She just laughed at him. Kitambi looked at Jaribu for support, and found her smirking wildly at her outbursts. "All we have to do is get the trust of these Pridelanders. That's it in a nutshell."

Hatari rolled her eyes. "Any more depth to this plan, king?"

"I was getting to that. I think we could get Kovu's trust most of all. Basically all we need is two or three of these lions to join our cause, and after that, we have it in the bag. Then we just sneak up and kill Simba and take the throne by force."

"And what about Kovu?" Jaribu asked expectantly.

"And how would we get any Pridelanders on our side? They're all blindly loyal to Simba…" She looked bored.

"Kovu is a lot like me. He would understand. And there's a lot you don't know…"

Hatari raised an eyebrow. "Go on…"

Kitabmi cleared his throat. "I was talking with Kovu for quite a while. It turns out he was the chosen heir to Taka, to take over Simba's throne. He didn't kill Simba because he fell in love with his ugly daughter, Kiara. Even Simba figured out how to control Kovu like a puppet. And you all see how powerful that lion is. We _need_ him on our side. If we don't, the plan is good as dead. We just have to manipulate him back to sane thinking is all.

"And about the Pridelanders. There used to be a group of lions just outside of here called the Outlanders, which Kovu was apart of. Eventually they joined Simba's pride just a few short days ago, so our timing is so perfect that it seemed like it's destined to be. We could easily sway a few of them. They thought against Simba for so long, the one who had banished them in the first place. Why wouldn't they be easy to sway, after only a few days of being apart of his pride?"

"And how do we convince Kovu to join our cause against his mate's father?" Hatari just rolled her eyes again at Kitambi, showing her annoyance in his mere voice. Wasn't she a keeper?

"I've gotten really close to him today. It was the start of a beautiful friendship, believe me."


	9. Ch9 Introduction

It had been two days since the new ones had been formed into our pride. And I have to say, it was nice. I mean, those two strong looking lionesses were always together and seemed like they wanted out of the situation, and the one called Hatari kept subtly hitting on me. Didn't she know I had the most beautiful lioness in the world? Ugh, whatever. The best of them was Kitambi, no doubt. The only male of the pride anyways. He was really insightful to talk to. I had spent a majority of yesterday with him, just walking around the Pride Lands and talking. Kiara had eventually joined us and she seemed to like him too. Simba wasn't so trusting, I don't think…

Simba had talked to me after I parted from Kitambi. Apparently there was some kind of small cave that used to be always inhabited by Scar, and Simba allowed them to use that cave if they weren't comfortable fitting in yet. Simba had asked what Kitambi's intentions were, and wouldn't let the question rest until he felt I had told him all I knew. He seemed a little worried. I mean, I would too. The last lion he let into his pride attempted to kill him, right?

"Where's Kiara?" Kitambi asked.

"Umm… She probably just hasn't woken up. She usually takes a long time." I chuckled at the thought. Even before Kitambi had joined the pride she would wake up in the middle of the day. I always felt so bad for waking her, she always seemed like she needed the sleep. It was really funny at times, though.

"Oh. Well it is pretty early. None of my pride is up, either."

It was actually just past sunrise. Kitambi and I were just walking around, in sight of Pride Rock so that Kiara could eventually join them. The only other ones up in the entire Pride Lands were Simba and Nala, who were glaring down across the kingdom from atop Pride Rock, no doubt having an in depth conversation. I knew that Simba probably didn't fully trust Kitambi yet, so I wasn't gonna go far, letting him think something was up.

"So how'd you sleep?" I stretched a little, yawning loudly.

"Pretty good. I had a weird little nightmare… How'd you sleep?"

"I slept pretty good. What kinda nightmare you have?" I got up from stretching and began to listen:

"Oh, it was nothing. Just about the past."

"Oh," I murmured, wanting to know more. I wanted to know more, sure, but I knew how the past should be left alone. I had had a few nightmares during my stay here so far. Mostly about me killing Simba and messing things up with Kiara to the point of no return. When I woke up I always felt so free, like I had started over. It was like the gods were letting me live out a bad situation without it really happening. I was actually grateful, no matter how graphic the dreams were.

"It's just about my old pride. How they all died suddenly. No one really knows what happened. I wasn't close to any of them, but I'm glad one of the deaths wasn't me. It could have easily been me and not my father, Gehenna."

"I'm sorry…" I didn't know what to say. He had went through a lot.

He just laughed at my feeble attempt. "Don't apologize. I'm not good at them either, don't worry. I mean you never even had a father, so that's probably just as bad, if not worse."

"Well…" I really thought about it. We had spent a lot of time together just getting to know each other, me and Simba. I really did look up to him. "Well I guess Simba is like a father figure to me. If anything ever happened to him I'd never forgive myself… I would never."

Kitambi seemed to cringe at something. Probably nothing, just a twitch of sorts. "Well I hope nothing happens to him then. You deserve some kind of father, we all do at one point at least."

"Thanks." The conversations always seemed to get pretty personal with him, as if he was trying to pull something from me. Pull something from me that I didn't even know I had in there. It was probably just me having a friend for the first time in my life. Yes, a friend. Not a fatherly figure, not a mate, just a friend that I could talk to about anything, and not be in jeopardy of any hard feelings. It was actually a weird feeling. There were only two other cubs in my old pride growing up, and one was my sister. I couldn't tell her anything, in fear of being persecuted by my own mother. And Nuka wasn't even a friend, doubting me every step of the way on my path to killing Simba. It was almost humorous, looking back at it.

"So what's the deal with Hatari?" I asked, changing the subject.

He laughed at me. "Yeah she's a keeper. She thinks you're a cute lion. I think she hates my guts so she's excited to finally see another lion. Whatever, though. No matter how many times she acts rude to me I know that I have my mate, Jaribu."

"She seems nice," I said. "But that Hatari chick seems like quite a trip. And that's probably an understatement." I laughed. "She knows I'm already with someone?"

"That's never stopped her before. Just ignore her, honestly. She knows when she's not wanted."

…

"He looks up to him too much. Which is perfect."

Jaribu looked at me confused.

It was much better to tell plans to just Jaribu, rather than Jaribu and Hatari. It took twice the time to explain things to that undeserving shadow of a lioness. "Basically all we have to do is make Kovu believe that Simba is as horrible as we know he is. Because he's already so emotionally charged about it that his willingness to help us would skyrocket. He would be too blinded by his hate and need for revenge. I mean he's gonna have trusted that lion with his entire life."

Jaribu nodded. "But how are we gonna frame him? Or talk to Kovu about him?"

Kitambi made a toothy grin, obviously excited that he had come up with a plan, all by himself. Alone, without the help of Hatari. "Well I found out one of the Pridelanders is his sister, Vitani…"

"You don't mean we're gonna…"

"Yeah. We're gonna."

…

"I just don't want him getting into the wrong crowd. We have no idea in the world what this new pride is up to, and his mind is probably still very believing. He's been fed lies his whole life… How is he gonna know what's wrong and right unless he's told straight up? And then him being told straight up could be a lie for all we know." Simba sighed."

Nala laughed at her mate. "I'm proud of you Simba. It's funny."

Simba looked at her expectantly. "How? Why?"

"You hated your daughter's mate just a week ago. And now you won't let him go, like he's your son or something. It's just ironic Simba."

"Well he is the heir to the throne."

"But you don't have to watch his every move. I'm sure he's mature enough to make his own decisions. He's been through a lot. If anything, he should be more wary of what Kitambi or any of them say. I've talked to him, he's really a wise lion you know."

Simba sighed again, defeated by his own mate again. "I guess I know that. I can just never be too careful. And if someone recruited him to evil again, our daughter would be in trouble too. Have you ever thought of that?"

"He looks up to you like a father figure, you know. Nothing's gonna happen."

Simba really thought about that comment. "How do you know?"

She chuckled, that chuckle that made Simba feel safe, and welcome with his mate. "He told me. I've talked to him too, you know."

Simba sighed a sigh of relief. It felt good to be a father figure to the lion. He had banished Kovu just after he was born, he had every reason to hate Simba, he knew that much. But Kovu didn't hold on to that face, which Simba admired. He wanted to look out for Kovu as much as possible. He couldn't imagine what the poor lion had been through. He had never had a father, never had a functioning mother, never had a lot of things. A childhood, most of all.

"Why are you so worried? Is it because…"

"Oh Nala. I'd never replace him, come now. He is always in our hearts. Keep that to yourself." Simba grimaced slightly, and Nala had shifted. She knew the situation was about to turn awkward, but it was something she needed to talk about. Needed to hear out of his mouth.

"C'mon. It's obvious what's going on here. Our son died, so you've found a new son, in a way. I mean if you had accepted Kovu long before and realized he was just a cub…"

"I learned from those mistakes, Nala. Everyone deserved that exile, except those few cubs I exiled. I get it, it was a horrible thing to do. A wiser king would have known what to do in an instant, and I ignored those instincts. But Kopa will always be in my heart, forever and always. You keep that in mind, Nala."

Nala shook her head. "You don't have to tell me twice. But don't deny what I already know, Simba…"

Simba was fed up. But he knew she was right.

Kopa was their son, and Simba was using Kovu as a proxy for what he considered a son.

Long ago, just when Simba was becoming king, Kopa was born. It was really a joyous occasion, Simba had to admit. He had never been more proud of himself in his life, even when he had overtaken the Pride Lands and beaten Scar out. But Kopa had only survived a short time.

Simba had been a great father. He remembered all the things that Mufasa had taught him, before he tragically died at the bottom of that canyon. Simba had slowly accepted the fact that it wasn't his fault after all, he had never meant to kill his father. And Scar had thrown him off the cliff anyways. Funny how it all played out, almost. Simba had taught Kopa things before the cub could even walk, and managed to balance raising a child with kingship surprisingly well. The cub saw Nala less than Simba, which was taboo by any means.

Simba had raised Kopa to only a few months old, that time when they were just beginning to speak. And that's when he found that Kopa was nowhere to be seen.

There had always been a group of lionesses that hated Simba's guts for what he had done. The lionesses that had senses and had stayed loyal to Simba told him that a lioness known as Zira had pushed him down the canyon wall, and that the body had then disappeared. So Simba couldn't even say goodbye to a dead body. And that was the worst part of it all.

So, just to get back at Zira, a single lioness herself, Simba proceeded to banish her, and all her three cubs he claimed. Then he exiled all her friends and the lionesses that didn't stay loyal to him. Nala was surprised at him, but Simba had convinced her it was for the best. Nala had always believed that the cubs were at no fault, which was true. That was why when Kovu saved one and only daughter, Kiara, she had been to his rescue immediately.

Simba had regretted banishing the cubs only a year after, but he knew. They had already grown considerably, and Zira would have filled all their hearts with hate. There was no doubt about that.

And he guessed that because Kopa was no longer there, Kovu was filling the gap that he had always left open.

It was a selfish view, of course, but when Nala had given birth to another heir, Simba had been disappointed that it was not a male. He had always wanted a male, one that he could have the same relationship with as he had had with his father, before he horrifically died. He never showed his disappointment, but he hadn't spent a billionth the time he did with Kopa with Kiara. It was sad, but it was something that he definitely dropped the ball on.

"I know, I know Nala. You know that I've just always… Always…"

"Wanted a son?" She laughed at her mate. "Yeah I know. But you're lucky you have what you have right now Simba, just remember that."

…


	10. Ch10 Almost

Kitambi sighed. "Because she's ugly, Kovu. And you deserve better."

It hit me then. She really was nothing to me, right? I had fallen so out of place with her, out of love. I was Kovu; I was strong. I needed a mate better than her. She was ugly, incomplete. She didn't deserve half the lion that I was. Kiara was, after all, dead to me.

"You're right, huh? I mean… I've never hated anyone like I hate Kiara."

Kitambi put his paw on my shoulder. His paw was more massive than I even remembered. But then again he had grown in the bit of time he had been in the Pride Lands, the time that he had shown me the truth about things. If it weren't for him, I think that I still would have been on the wrong path, the path that included Kiara. She needed to get away from me. She didn't deserve me. She didn't deserve me…

"That's good. Let it out. She deserves everything that you're gonna give to her."

How did he know? Kitambi just probably guessed how I was feeling. It was pretty obvious how I was feeling. Betrayed, hated, neglected, not loved. And most of all, the amount of hate that surrounded my heart right now was more than when I was attempting to kill Simba at first. "I just want her to suffer like I am. Pull every bone out of her body. Kill her in cold blood. Slowly, so she can feel it."

"It's alright. And here she comes now."

I turned around, infuriated. She was walking alone, looking innocent as ever. But I knew how she really was. She was a temptress, a horrible lioness, one that hated me with all her heart. She wanted to toy with me, use my feelings as personal flattery so that she could live with herself, I'm sure.

"Hey babe," she said. I turned around to see if it was reality, to see if she really had the audacity to come up to me and speak like nothing was wrong. Kitambi had disappeared something. But what did it matter?

"Shut up. You're really gonna talk like, like nothing happened?" I was stuttering in anger.

"What did I do?"

I smacked her, leaving a huge gaping scar across her eye. Just like mine. "Shut up! You should just leave before I kill you Kiara… I'm giving you one last chance. You're garbage to me, I hate you!" I spit in her face.

She started crying. What did I care? She was the most horrible lioness I had ever come into contact with. "Why did you just do that? I don't even know what I did Kovu, please! I would never do anything to hurt you!"

I laughed at her pathetic attempt to calm me. You couldn't stop Kovu after doing what she did. I was so blinded by anger I must have forgotten exactly what she did, because I couldn't recall to tell her what she had did to betray me. But I trusted Kitambi and his judgment. I just can't believe she had the audacity to do what she did to me… After all we had been through? I smacked her again as hard as I could, leaving another scar across her other eye, and leaving a gash where her mouth started, widening her smile in a sickening way.

"I'm gonna kill you slowly and painfully. Brace, pathetic waste of space."

The fear in her eyes grew wide. I was gonna enjoy this so much. I sprang my paw back, and the ears on her head folded back in an attempted brace for impact. It was all over for her…

…

I gasped for air, shaking all over. It felt hot all around me, like an entire sun was surrounding me. I couldn't take it…

I looked around desperately, trying to grasp my surroundings.

The den.

I had another dream? I couldn't believe I could be thinking all these thoughts again. It wasn't like me… Nah, what was I even saying? It was exactly like me. I'm a cold hearted monster after all.

I looked over to my mate to make sure she was okay. She was. I sighed a great sigh of relief that could have woken up the entire pride. Luckily no one did. I stroked her head with my paw, relieved beyond belief that she was alright. I would kill myself if anything ever happened to her. Let alone if I was the one that was to hurt her.

What was wrong with me? I mean, I loved Kiara beyond any measure. Why, even in a dumb dream of me, would I believe that Kiara had done something to me? I mean, I couldn't even remember what she had done in my dream. That was how ridiculous it was.

I slowly got up and stretched, realizing what time of day it was. It was actually after sunrise, maybe an hour or so after. Already a third or so of the pride was up, this was so unlike me to not be up by now.

I walked towards the opening of the den to see Nala waiting for me, looking slightly worried. Did she hear me having a nightmare again? I hope I didn't say anything… I couldn't allow anyone to know what I was having dreams about. I couldn't even believe it myself. It made me feel alienated, like a monster or something. Nothing new for me.

"How'd you sleep?" Nala asked as I slowly approached her, yawning loudly.

"Fine… You just saw all that though, huh?"

She just laughed at me. "Are you okay, seriously? Obviously this isn't the first time this has happened… but they're so often. It's kind of scary, huh?"

I smiled at her. I was just glad that someone was asking how I was feeling, and that it happened so often the past week or so. Everyone was actually concerned for my well being, not just my physical strength, or whether or not I was going to be able to defeat Simba or not. "It is. But it'll never happen in real life…" But still. Why was it even happening in the dream world? It wasn't right. Rather, _something_ wasn't right…

"What was it about this time?"

I cautiously looked around and lowered my voice. "You would hate me… I mean, I already hate me for it this time, Nala."

She shook her head. "You can be honest. It's just a dream."

Still… I shook my head back at her. "I was hurting Kiara." I said it. And it felt horrifying that I could even say that.

She was surprisingly not shocked. Someone as powerful as me hurting her daughter didn't move her? She must've really understood what I was going through. "Well hopefully they'll stop happening. Maybe something's wrong. Are you still adjusting?"

Truthfully, no. "Truthfully? Yeah I still probably am adjusting. I guess that must be it."

I could tell she knew I was lying just to hide the fact that I was worried about it. But it was good enough for her, I guess. She turned around to go do something, undoubtedly to meet Simba or something. Not before turning to me and saying, "I'll see you later today. Don't get into too much trouble." She chuckled.

…

"So how are we gonna do this, then?" Jaribu asked questioningly.

Kitambi and his mate, Jaribu, were standing by the watering hole. Of course there were no animals around, just the two of them. Hatari was again absent, probably trying to get looks at the 'love of her life', Kovu. She hadn't even really formally introduced herself to the prince of the Pride Lands yet, but it was finally something that Kitambi had that could give him an upper hand in a conversation, something he usually never had. It was funny, seeing such a hard headed lioness fall in love. Especially with someone who would never show it back.

"Basically, she always hangs out in a certain place with a few of her friends. From what I hear, she likes me." Kitambi smirked wildly at his mate. "Must get under your skin, huh dear?"

Jaribu merely chuckled. "You couldn't get with her if you wanted to, Kitambi."

Was it really average for a king to be so ridiculed by his subjects like this? Kitambi was beginning to think it was just normal. "I ask her to talk. We get her alone. Then we kill her." Kitambi had never killed before. He considered himself a good lion. But for what had happened to his family, he just had to make their bodies not have deceased in vain. Simba had to be stopped. Or at least be killed for what he did to Kitambi's grandfather, in the very least.

"And how is this gonna help any? By killing Vitani?"

I laughed. "Remember? We frame Simba."

"How?"

This I hadn't told her yet. And it was probably the best part of the plan. "You see… Kovu trusts me. All I have to do is make sure none of us get caught, and then we frame it on Simba. Me and him, we're alike. Trust me in this."

Jaribu smirked. "I don't care what Hatari says. You're amazing, babe."

…

He had the muscles of someone who was walking for years, someone who didn't know where they were going, or even cared for that matter.

And it was partially true.

He had had a rough life: Going from pride to pride, border to border, boundary to boundary, mate to mate. And for the first time in his short life, he had finally had enough.

It hadn't been an illogical decision. And if anything, this lion was known for his logical and precise thinking. If the massacre of an entire pride was outweighed by a better cause, then it wouldn't have been above him to do just that. He was cold hearted, after being stabbed in the back so much, it might as well have had physical knives in it. But it made him emotionally, and quite nearly physically indestructible.

It had been a long few years, the entire span of his growing up. Four years for a lion to mature, five years nearly that he had been on his own. He came from a kingdom, one that was great. It was ruled by his father, and for that matter, he would have been prince. He had never had such a high calling afterwards, going from pride to accepting pride, and somehow disgracing them all. In his opinion, taking the truth wasn't their strong suit. He just told it as it was.

There was one, and only one dilemma that had taken his life from him. His father had died.

He never even got to say goodbye. All that happened was that he was told that his father had been murdered, and that he needed to run for his life if he knew what was best for him. He remembered being chased out of his own home, by one of the low life lionesses that inhabited it. It was sickening, the way he was treated. He could have been the prince if he had just continued growing up there.

But if there was one thing the young lion knew, it was that you can't change the past. You can't worry about the past; You can only make the future better. And the way he was gonna do that was by getting back at the lowlife lionesses that took his home from him. Took his everything from him, and forced him to become a rogue for five years.

And it was finally time.

The lion knew what he was made of. Anyone who would pass him by could know what he was made of. He was a large lion, one that could easily tear you apart and then go on a walk like nothing ever happened. He almost couldn't stomach himself, if he didn't know it was for the best. He was a well-oiled machine, a temple of sorts. He could've never taken on an entire pride of lionesses on his own, until now. No one could stop him now.

He remembered the way home. He was calculating it the entire five years he was gone from his home. It was amazing that he had remembered actually. It took long nights of looking up at the stars, calculating which ones were moving or not, and then making sure not to travel without knowing where he was under certain stars. And then, as he grimaced to figure out, even certain stars turned into others as the seasons came and went. It was a grueling and steady process, but it was all about to pay off.

And now he was nearly there, almost at the border of his lands. The lands that were taken from him. The lands that were about to be his again.

Prepare for king Kopa.

…

"Hey!" I raced over to her, not having seen her for a few days, actually. It was rare for me to even catch a glimpse of my sister lately, and it disappointed me deeply. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

Vitani finished drinking. She had been trying to avoid her brother actually. She couldn't take the pain that it caused her to see him every few minutes, hanging out with new friends, caressing Kiara, or bonding with his new 'parents' of sorts. It was the pain of jealousy, and it ate away at her like a tapeworm. She had once had it all, a mother who actually cared about her, and thought her competent. She had a whole pride of lionesses that once looked up to her. And most of all, she had a place to belong. Not like here.

She sheepishly looked at me. "Oh, hey Kovu. Long time no see, huh?"

Kovu grinned stupidly. "What's wrong? We never see each other anymore, like you're ignoring me or something."

She pricked up at that thought. "Why, why would you say that?" She stammered.

I laughed. "Don't be nervous. What happened to all the good times?" Sure I was saying that, but even I knew that was no such thing as the good times. Vitani had been pushed nearly as hard as I had by Zira, and I got most of the compliments for it. It was as if she was backup, if I were to fail my mission.

"I'm not nervous. We just haven't seen each other, that's all."

I was desperate to get her to tell what was on her mind. "C'mon, Vitani. What's wrong? You've been acting so strange since the moment we arrived here…"

She shook her head. "Kovu, I'm fine. Please."

I wasn't gonna take no for an answer. "Vitani, I'm not fine with you saying you're fine. Please." I just hope I wasn't gonna push her too hard.

"Kovu…" She sighed deeply. I knew I could only push her so far, but I actually cared about my sister. We had been through so much together, through the thick and the thin. And I'm really gonna put an emphasis on the thick, as anyone could imagine. It had made us stronger, sure. But it had wrecked us at the same time. And for wrecking us, I would have liked to think we had an emotional bond. A screwed up and twisted bond, but one nonetheless.

"Vitani…"

She laughed. "Kovu, I'm serious."

"Vitani… I'm serious. You can come to me."

She walked away from me a little bit, and then turned over her shoulder, expecting for me to follow her, obviously. I sprinted to catch up with her for a few words, then continued to walk by her side, waiting for her to continue.

She sighed. "Kovu… I'm gonna sound selfish."

"No, you're not. Just tell me."

She closed her eyes and then reopened then, in some kind of long blink. "Alright." She looked over at me, then back down to the ground as she walked ahead. "I'm just jealous."

Jealous? Wow. "Jealous?" I laughed for a second. "For real?"

She looked at me like I was completely being rude. Which I probably was. "I mean c'mon, Kovu. You have the life. You just became prince of the Pride Lands, you have a beautiful mate, you have lionesses hitting on you left and right, you actually in a way have a father now…"

I understood. "Vitani, why haven't you come to me before?" I tried to look into her eyes, but she turned the other way, as if embarrassed.

"It's selfish, Kovu. You deserve this all."

I looked at her in the eyes as she finally turned them back to me. "Hey. I want you to know something."

She laughed. "And what is that?"

"No matter what happens, I'ma stand by you."


	11. Ch11 Not As Planned

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me," I said, as I incoherently chuckled to myself. I could've been better, really. But there was nothing to worry Simba about at this point. He had enough on his plate being… Oh, I don't know, king?

"Good."

It was kind of an awkward silence at that point.

Me and him were the only ones there, walking through the Pride Lands, back towards Pride Rock from a pretty long walk. It was almost funny how much time he wanted to spend with me, getting to know me or something. Kiara even commented that he hadn't spent that amount of time with her. She had to be joking, yeah, but it was still interesting. Something worth commenting on…

"Hey, Simba."

"Yeah, Kovu? Anything."

I smirked at him. "Why've you been… you know… hanging out with me so much lately?"

The question was kinda awkward, actually. "What do you mean?" I'm sure he obviously knew. He just wanted to hear me say it, bide time for an answer of some sorts. But I was really into hearing the answer.

"Well… I don't know. We've just been talking a lot lately. What happened to hating me a week or so ago?"

Simba laughed. "I don't know. And I never hated you…"

"Oh yeah, sure. The whole exile thing was just a thing of my imagination…"

He seemed hurt at the comment. His pace slowed a little bit. "You know I was only doing what I thought would be right."

I sighed. "Yeah…" I paused. I kept looking down at my paws, so vastly different in comparison to Simba's. Mine were all rugged and black, and my claws seemed like they were always slightly extracted. "But you could've at least given me a chance to explain myself. I mean I never felt so alone in my life… I didn't know where I was going. If Kiara didn't come chase after me I would've had nowhere to go, nothing to do…"

Simba shook his head. "Kovu… sometimes as king you make decisions." He paused and looked at me. I returned the gaze at him, expecting for him to continue. Which he did. "You always have two choices. The right choice, and the wrong choice. But, beyond that, sometimes it's the decision itself that makes the king."

"What do you mean?"

"Well sometimes it doesn't matter what you choose. If you choose at all, that fact alone will make you as a person. It's not in our control. With what I knew about the situation, I made the right choice. I should've let you talk, granted, but considering what I knew alone, it was the right decision. I was afraid. But just making a decision at all is what made the situation."

I pondered for a second. He was right, after all. I couldn't blame him. "I guess you're right…" I stared back down at the ground. What was he trying to say though?

"I'm trying to get closer to you because I know you're going to rule my lands one day. A day sooner than you think, Kovu. I look at you like a son."

I was startled for a second. What did he just say? "What?" I stammered a bit.

"You heard me, Kovu. I look at you like you're my son. I want to guide you down the right path, not the wrong. I'm sorry that I couldn't try and be there your whole life…"

He wasn't my father though. He didn't need to have been there my whole life, and I don't blame him for not wanting me. I was Scar's heir, after all. I wasn't worthy to be the king's 'son', let alone marry his daughter. "Don't you already have Kiara to guide? I mean I grew up without a father long enough…"

"Kiara knows right and wrong by now. I'm not so sure about you."

At least someone was bringing up the fears I had inside me. He read what was on my mind for the past week. "I know, I know. I'm not so sure about me either honestly."

There was awkward silence. Pride Rock was starting to come into view, with Nala and a few other lionesses lounging around in front of it. None of them had spotted us yet, so Simba stopped, expecting me to do the same. "Maybe this is selfish…"

I chuckled. "Trying to help me be a better king? Give some fatherly advice once in a while?" There was something he wasn't telling me, obviously.

"No, Kovu… It's like…" He sighed deeply. Yeah, there was something up.

"Like what? Simba…" I thought for a second. "If you look to me like a son, you can tell me anything, I assure you."

He looked at me, then looked back to Pride Rock. His rock. He looked at his mate, and then began slowly. "I'm using you in a way."

"How?"

"Well… There's no easy way to tell you this. Kiara barely knows, I told her to leave the story alone. It's something kinda taboo from conversation around here. But most of the older lionesses know."

I nodded. "I had a son."

What? "You had a son, Simba? What happened to him?"

"The main reason I exiled you and Zira and Vitani and everyone else was because… Zira told my son I had died. So she made him run away, and long story short, being so young, he probably died out there. His name was Kopa."

I didn't know what to say. I couldn't believe Simba trusted me with such information. "And how are you using me then? I'm so sorry Simba, I really am… I feel ashamed."

"You didn't do it. And I should've had the sense to not exile you. I was a monster for that, I let my anger get the best of me." He paused again. I could tell this was definitely a touchy subject. "I'm using you because I never wanted a daughter. I wanted a headstrong and king-ready son, like you're turning out to be."

I was surprised. A king like Simba, bashing his own daughter? The one that I loved so dearly, too. "Kiara's headstrong. You don't see Kiara as a fit ruler?"

He stammered, as if being caught in a lie. "No, you see… You see, she is headstrong, Kovu. But she's a girl. If she had never met you, which I have to admit was a one in a million chance that I wasn't counting on, then the pride might have ended. There were no more young males. I mean, if I had a son, I wouldn't have had all those sleepless nights thinking about who was going to rule this kingdom after I was gone. You never know what's gonna happen, Kovu. I could be gone tomorrow."

It was a lot to take in. He looked to me like a son? He _had_ a son? He saw me as more fit of a ruler than Kiara?

He smiled at me, making me laugh a little bit. He had sort of a goofy smile, one that was exaggerated, like he had been smiling a lot his life. I hadn't, I could admit that much. "Thanks for trusting in me Simba…"

"Just don't tell anyone what I told you today."

I nodded.

…

Kitambi walked up to her, lapping up water from the watering hole. This was his chance, his chance to take back what was his grandfather's. The start of his rise to king, and the start of a beautiful life. A life where one of the strongest lions, if not _the_ strongest lion he had ever seen was his pawn, and where Jaribu wouldn't be the only one that was hitting on him. It was also one in which Hatari would quit doubting him second after second.

The plan was simple. Kitambi just had to lure Vitani over to a secluded area. Not hard, right? Then he just had to kill her. Even though he was no Kovu, Kitambi was still a relatively skilled fighter. It couldn't be harder than a hunt, which he was good at. And after Vitani was killed, he would frame it all on Simba. Simba would be the bad one, and Kovu would want to get back at him, right? Simple. He couldn't mess it up.

Kitambi walked forward to the edge of the water hole. If any of the plan was going to work, he had to at least gain her trust at first. He bent his neck and took a sip.

She finished lapping up her share of water, and glanced over at Kitambi curiously. He finished his share also, and then stared right back at her. "Oh, hey Vitani."

Vitani giggled at him. "Hey… Kitambi?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's the name. Good job." He laughed, trying to ease the uncomfortable atmosphere that was held between them.

"What's up?" She asked, trying to be polite at least. She was awkward at conversation usually, but she was at least willing to try, Kitambi had to give her that.

She was ugly to him, actually. She had a few scars across her body, and her facial structure was that of no other lioness in the Pride Lands that he had met. It was almost deformed. It was surprising that a lion that was now making almost all the lionesses in his pride of six lovestruck could be her brother. She, from what Kitambi could see, was nearly antisocial. Sure, he could understand her not fitting in because of the whole story Kovu had told him. But really?

It would be fun killing her, if anything else.

"Not much, actually. Just couldn't let such a beautiful lioness drinking water all by herself. How rude of me."

She smiled. It was harder than he thought to lie through his teeth. He almost had to burst out laughing, actually. "Yeah? Well you're being awfully nice now." She laughed.

He had to play it off cool. "You know, I've met a lot of beautiful lionesses in my day. None had anything on you, Vitani…"

"What about your mate? I see her all the time?"

He laughed, calm and collected as ever. "What, Jaribu? C'mon, we're basically over anyways. She's ugly to me."

"And… what do you want me to do?"

It amazed him how rude this lioness was. After being hit on, she was so blatantly stupid. "Well don't you find me attractive at all?"

She seemed to ponder the thought. "You are the only male that I've seen that I wasn't related to or wanted to kill in quite a long time, I will admit."

Did no one actually like him? "C'mon. Let's go somewhere else. Maybe have some fun?"

This _had_ to be the first offer of this in forever for her. If she didn't say yes, above anything else, she was just stupid. "Why not? I don't have anyone to go meet up or anything." She got up and stretched. "Where do you wanna go, Kitambi?"

Too easy.

They made their way through some of the trees, and behind a giant rock that was placed in between two of them. She was excited for the whole five or so minute walk there, which just made Kitambi's job more enjoyable. Vitani was like the lowest rung of the ladder, the lowest spot on the food chain. It almost humored Kitambi.

She sat down first and waited for a moment before speaking. "Where do we begin?" Was that really her best shot at being seductive?

He smirked. It was a purely evil one at that. There was no use prolonging what was to come, he could at least give her that mercy.

He extended the claws in his left paw. "How about here?"

…

He could finally see it: His lands. The Pride Lands, for crying out loud. After five years, he could finally see it. The lands that he was supposed to rule by now, just like his father had before he had been cruelly murdered. And most of all, he could finally see the lands that he would save. Save from all the heresy that probably clouded it by now, from all the horrible lionesses or lions that had killed his father. Revenge.

He had dreamed of nothing else for the five years that he had been a rogue, going from pride to pride to pride. Not to mention those nights that he didn't have a pride even, where the globe of stars was his roof, and the grass beneath him his home. It was grueling. But it had taught him so much.

He was now more than a match for the strongest lions he had ever met. Kopa had never killed before, but he had come close in many instances. He was respected, and demanded that respect whenever he walked into a new surrounding. You could see in his eyes that he wasn't above killing, if it were to be necessary. Maybe he was just saving all his brutality for this moment right here, the moment where he would take back what was rightfully his. Maybe he was just never as infuriated in his life as this moment was going to make him.

He proceeded forward, careful not to step on too many rocks on his way across what he once knew as the Outlands. The last thing he needed was a rock in his paw to go and fight possible a whole pride. Not that he couldn't take them.

He had remembered the Outlands so well, as it was the first thing he had touched outside of his home, on the way from running away. He had run so far, yet the land beneath him felt like it had been there only yesterday. It was cold and unforgiving, a straight contrast to what the Pride Lands looked like. Or did look like.

Pretty soon it was over the trench, then into the grass of the Pride Lands. It was surprisingly calm. Or for that matter, if there was a tsunami with a tornado on top of it it would have been surprising, since Kopa had not been there for so long. It was funny, that he expected for the scene to be so different. Maybe a few lionesses being held in chains against their will?

He smirked to himself. This was no time for laughing at himself, sure, but still. You had to admit it was funny. He tensed his muscles all the way down his body, mentally preparing himself for what could be the fight of his life. He then proceeded forward, ready as he would ever be.

It was nostalgic, being home like this. The trees hadn't moved a bit. There was still the same rocks scattered in their usual places. Everything was the same, save for the fact that Kopa wasn't here to play anymore. He was here strictly for battle. And battle was what would happen. He needed to teach a lesson to anyone that could kill his father and walk all over his kingdom that they weren't welcome here any longer. And maybe even some of his childhood friends would be alive… maybe even his mother? He knew not to get his hopes up, but who wouldn't in such a situation? His grandmother might have even been spared…

The smile on his face quickly faded and turned into a grin as he saw his first two targets, making their way to some rock formation. It was the same one he used to hide behind as a kid, waiting for the other cubs to find him. There were only two other cubs, and each of them still had their loyalties to his father's crazed uncle, Scar. He had ruled the Pride Lands horridly, its resources dwindling into nothing, and the lionesses almost dead because of it. Maybe hyena living side by side with lion was good on paper, but let's just say we all know now from experience…

God, he could almost taste what it was like before. With Vitani chasing him around, Nuka close behind, obviously bored, being the oldest one out. Vitani was just slightly younger than him, but boy, did she sure know how to have fun. He almost hoped that Nuka wasn't there, but no one deserved to die. It was only ruined when their mother, Zira, called them back to talk to them. After awhile, a week before the death of his father, Nuka and Vitani seemed to harbor ill thoughts about him, almost hating him somehow. It was a horrible way to end the friendship, considering Kopa had to leave so soon. Hopefully they were still around.

There was one dark lion, nearly the same fur color as Nuka had had. Then there was a scrawny lioness. Kopa didn't know who anyone was, and of course, he couldn't just go attacking anything that moved. It wouldn't make sense. What if one of them was Nuka, or even Vitani?

He stalked over to them, just in time to see the darker lion with claws stretched out, saying something inaudible to Kopa. So he crouched lower to the ground and proceeded, now only yards away, hidden behind the trunk of a larger tree.

"What… what are you doing, Kitambi?" the lioness stuttered, edging backwards.

Kitambi? There was no male named Kitambi that he knew of… One of the lions that had attacked his father! Well, he was very young… Maybe the offspring of one of them. Any way, he was still no forgiven in Kopa's book.

"Just doing you justice, you ugly piece of filfth."

The lioness was scrawny, though she looked like a skilled fighter. This Kitambi was much more skilled though, or at least looked like it. The lioness stood no chance. He couldn't let this happen. She had to be part of the lions and lionesses that were still loyal to Simba, right?

Kitambi edged closer to her, claws at the ready.

Kopa leapt at Kitambi, immediately pinning him to the ground. Kitambi roared in pain, and the lioness behind him gasped.

Kitambi let out another roar before Kopa talked. "Why should I let you live! Why are you about to kill this lioness!"

Kitamib stuttered. "I… I wasn't gonna kill her, I swear. We were, we were…"

"We were doing what?" Kopa asked, extending just one claw down into his chest. The lion roared in pain under his grip. It gave Kopa a sick excitement almost. The lioness behind him finally spoke up:

"Who are you?"

Kopa turned his head to get a better look.

"I've come to take back my kingdom." He turned his head back down to Kitambi's, which showed signs of pain and horror. Kopa spit right in his face. "From scum like this."

"That doesn't answer my question! Why are you here?"

Kopa turned his head to look back at her. "I just told you. My name is Kopa."

Her face lit up like a thousand suns, all being lit up at once. She smiled one of the greatest smiles he had seen in a long time, almost making Kopa forget there was a writhing body under his. "Is it really you? You've gotten so big!"

He was confused. Was this someone he once knew? He was ecstatic! "I once knew you?"

Her eyes went wide. "Remember! I'm Vitani!"

The realization swept over him, and he couldn't have been happier. It was his childhood friend, of all people, Vitani! "Oh my god! I missed you so much!"

Kitamib tried to escape, to which Kopa responded with a stern push. He wasn't just gonna forget about him. "And why were you attacking her!" Kopa spat, another hint of spit landing on his muzzle.

"I wasn't, I swear! Just let me go!"

"Then what were you doing!" Vitani demanded, finally walking over to him. "You tried to kill me! Now you have to answer to him!" She motioned her head towards Kopa, who was mad as ever.

Suddenly there was a roar amidst the trees, seeming to shake the leaves themselves from their branches. It hardly scared Kopa, having seen basically everything in the five long years he had been a rogue lion. But Kitambi almost smirked, and Vitani jumped out of her skin, nearly.

Kopa turned his head to see a black lion, almost as strong looking as him. He was in the clearing between two trees, with a full mane, and green eyes. There was a scar across one of his eyes, and the lion was panting a little. He had obviously been running for a while. The lione was sure a threat, the only threat that Kopa had seen in years. But if this was one of the enemy, he could at least try and kill him.

"Who are you, rogue?" The lion commanded, still panting from exhaustion.

Kopa laughed. "I have come to take back what was rightfully mine long ago."

Vitani spoke up: "Kovu, he's no harm!" She turned to Kopa. "That's Kovu. He's the new prince of the Pride Lands."

Kopa was confused. "Well…" He began, seeing as authority was right in front of him, in the flesh. "This lion was attacking Vitani, a fair lioness…"

"What?" Kovu stammered, walking up towards the scene. "Is this true?" He asked Kitambi, staring right into his eyes.

"Just let me go!" Kitambi pleaded with the three of them, squirming about. Kopa had finally detracted his claw from Kitambi's chest, making for a very sharp feeling in his chest. It showed his lack of pain tolerance, if anything.

"Let him go, stranger," Kovu commanded.

Kopa rolled his eyes, slowly getting off Kitambi. Kitambi sighed with relief. "Finally!" He yelled, as a drip of blood rolled down his chest.

After a small awkward silence, Kopa spoke, directing his gaze at Kovu. "I'm Kopa."


	12. Ch12 Two Sons

Talk about shock.

After searching around for Vitani, I had found Simba's 'dead' son, and had found out my best friend in the Pride Lands for the past few days just tried to kill my sister. And that, I would have to deal with later.

Kitambi had scattered off basically as soon as Kopa had gotten off of him, undoubtedly to Jaribu or Hatari, or both of them. I was so disgusted, and at the same time surprised, I didn't care. Dealing with it later would have to suffice for right now. There was an even bigger shock.

I mean, Simba was literally telling me about his long lost, and supposedly dead son just earlier this morning. It was almost ironically funny, in a cruel sort of way. And I had stumbled upon him, trying to kill my new best friend. Who happened to be a traitor. A lot to take in, huh? You bet.

I still didn't understand half of what Kopa was talking about. Taking his kingdom back? What did he think this was, some epic battle of the ages? I had prepared for enough of those already, I didn't need him dragging out another one. He seemed delusional, but above else… Strong. I had never seen a lion that looked as strong as him. It would actually be a very well fought fight, between me and him. And the kid seemed so headstrong, way more intact than a lion who had been missing from birth should have been. But without even mentioning, he looked pretty close to Simba, undoubtedly his offspring. Just a stronger, and obviously younger version.

There were so many things going through my mind as I watched Kitambi scramble away in the distance, undoubtedly scared out of his feeble mind. If Kopa was returned to Simba, then where would this leave me? Was I still gonna be… king? Oh, it wasn't like I cared. And what did this effect considering our conversation this morning? I really was getting used to the idea that Simba actually genuinely cared for me. I had a family for once, and even Nala was becoming sort of a motherly figure to me. I was gonna get pushed so far out of the picture… Would I even exist anymore? I was probably only so heavily cared for now because I was their only option. I was Kiara's mate. But now they would have an excuse not to care.

I turned towards my sister, and the powerful Kopa.

"Where have you been all this time, Kopa?" Vitani half yelled and half asked, bobbing up and down like she was watching the most amusing thing she had ever seen in her life. It was almost amusing to look at.

"Many places, Vitani. What have they been doing to you? Are you okay?"

She laughed. "Yeah I'm okay, thanks for saving me!"

I choked on my words a little before speaking up. It was… almost beyond difficult. I mean, it was Simba's son after all. "I… Umm… I'm Kovu." It was awkward. And he had already been introduced. What was I even thinking? I wasn't gonna say I was prince of the Pride Lands… that was rightfully his now.

"Kovu. Are you okay? Any friend of Vitani is a friend of mine. Where are they?"

I was confused. They? "Who are… they? Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little shocked, believe it or not."

He eyed his surroundings curiously, then looked back at me. "I don't know if Vitani ever mentioned me. She probably had no motive to. But long story short… My father was killed when I was young. And by evil lions and lionesses I had never met before. I heard they had taken the Pride Lands over, and I'm here to take them back. Give them to the ones that deserve it. Is… Nala still alive?"

Me and Vitani didn't know what to say. It was almost, humorous? Again, in a sick way, sure. But still funny. This lion was so disillusioned… I spoke up.

"Yeah, Nala's well. And Simba's about the same."

Kopa's ears perked up, and Vitani put her paw on his shoulder, which relaxed him slightly. Man, they must've sure known each other before I was born. "Simba? How do you know my father! You must be with them, I'm sure of it…" His tone started to get nasty.

"Simba never died, Kopa. Your father is still king."

Kopa stopped dead in his tracks. Or his mental tracks, I guess, seeing as he was staring blankly into my eyes. Creepy, seeing as it was kind of the way Kiara did. "What?"

"Simba…" I started. "You have a lot to catch up on, don't you?"

He nodded. "So… there's no threat or anything? I've been basically training for five years just to lollygag around back at the home I could've had this whole time?"

Wasn't that just a harsh truth? "Five years?" I asked. It made sense, seeing as I had been alive for almost five. Perfectly logical. "Well… He's back at Pride Rock as we speak. You can go meet him again. I'm sure you guys will have a lot of catching up to do."

"So… you have no idea about any of this, huh?" Vitani asked, moving her paw to rub Kopa's shoulder. There was an obvious connection between the two, or just from Vitani's perspective, at least. "This is all going to be a real shocker for you, old friend."

He should know something, before we even went on. "And just so you know…"

Kopa was in a state of disbelief, obviously. I would be too. Talk about shock, but talk about it from his point of view, huh? "Yuh… Yeah?"

"I'm Kovu. Heir of Scar."

He looked at me in a confused sort of way again. "What?"

"I was sent to kill your father, but I fell in love with his daughter. And from then on I changed, and now I've been accepted here. That's why I'm prince. But originally, yes, you should know what I was."

He shook his head. "I have a sister?"

Vitani laughed. "You have a lot to learn, no doubt." And with that, I got up to show Kopa the way back to his rightful home. The home that he would one day rule, not me.

…

He looked at me. "Kovu… this better not be some sick joke from this morning. There's no way…"

I was first one up the steps to Pride Rock. I couldn't wait to break the news to Simba, be the one to give him that happiness he so deserved as the best king I had ever known. I knew at first he wouldn't believe me. But that's when Kopa finally made it up the steps, yelling to his father:

"Dad?"

It was one of those picture perfect, yet awkward moments. The look on Simba's face indicated just how stunned he was, how much he thought he was probably in a dream. A dream he would never want to wake up from. The look on Kopa's face was just as well. It was heartwarming, a feeling I had just gotten accustomed to, actually. And what a good feeling it was, whether it was from sharing nights alone with Kiara, to this. What would Kiara think?  
>Vitani had now made her way up the steps, and was right beside Kopa, seeming to emotionally support him.<p>

"K… Kopa?" Simba stammered, taking a step forward, squinting. "Is that really you? It can't be… you're, you're dead."

Kopa walked to his father, eyeing him up. He then turned his gaze to me, almost as if expecting me to say something. I wouldn't know what to say in a situation like this, that's for sure. He then turned back to his father and they rubbed manes for what seemed like forever, in a sort of embrace that Kiara gave me when she saw me. It was sure a sight of the ages.

"I thought you were dead, dad. We were both wrong."

A single tear dropped from one of Simba's eyes onto the cold, brown stone. "I guess so."

"Dad… Don't cry. You're gonna make me get all emotional."

I was emotional, almost. I looked over at Vitani, who was smiling, ear to ear.

"Where have you been all this time, Kopa?" Simba looked over his shoulder at me, and honestly, I wish everyone would stop darting their eyes at me to get away from the weirdness of the moment. Even Vitani was staring at me. Simba seemed to motion a 'thank you' in his eyes, and I mouthed the words 'good job' for some reason.

"I've been wandering as a rogue for five years, dad. I finally came back home 'cause I thought I was gonna have to take the kingdom back. Zira told me that a pride of lions had killed you, and that I had to run away…"

"I thought Zira killed you. That's why…" He wanted to tell his son the whole Zira story, about exiling me, filling him in with every last detail. But I could see in eyes that he more wanted to just have the moment, the first moment with his son in five long years.

"That's why what, dad?"

He paused solemnly. "Nothing. You're mother is gonna be so happy to see you! You've grown so much." His eyes started to tear up any more, a couple drops falling from his face. "I've missed your entire childhood…"

"It wasn't your fault. I thought you were dead. I would've come back in a heartbeat dad, I really would have."

I saw out of the corner of my eye a pair of lionesses. Kiara and Nala. Here comes the tears…

…

He was scared out of his mind. Any lion his size would be if he was almost killed by a lion the size and strength of Kovu. Now there were two of them? This was quite the dilemma. And they knew each other? This could be the end of it all if something didn't happen soon…

He ran until he couldn't feel his feet. But by this time, he already saw his mate, Jaribu, and Hatari, talking, looking stressed out a bit themselves. Like they knew the definition of stress after what Kitambi had just gone through.

They sensed him a few yards before he arrived at their position. Hatari sarcastically spoke up. "So I see it all happened according to plan…"

"The _last_ thing I need for you to do right now is talk. Please shut up. We have a major problem. This isn't good at all…"

Jaribu looked at him, concerned as ever. "What happened? Calm down, honey." She held his face in her right paw, squinting to better see him. She didn't even notice the gaping wound in his chest, which Hatari had seen straight off the back. She only giggled at it.

"There's two of them now. I… I don't know how to explain it."

"Two of what, Kitambi?" She actually didn't sound sarcastic for once. What a pleasant change in pace.

"Well, I was about to go through with the plan. And then this huge, strong looking lion pounced on me and gave me this wound." He pointed with his right paw up to his chest, to the disgust of Jaribu. The look on her face was mixed with love and anguish for her mate. "And then Kovu came. So the gig's up right now. I mean, we can somehow say something to the effect of it was just all a misunderstanding, but… Ugh. I failed. I'll admit it Hatari."

Hatari just smiled. "I don't wanna state the obvious anymore." Then her look turned serious. "So what does that mean for us? We're screwed basically, right?"

He seemed deep in thought for a second. "Umm… yeah. I'd say stay low for awhile."

Jaribu shook her head. "Well obviously."

"And I figure if no one calls me out, they'll all forget about it. The lion's name was Kopa or something, and man were Vitani and Kovu so surprised to see him. It was like it was a family reunion or something. That's the only reason I was able to escape." He pumped his chest out a little bit, allowing for a tiny stream of new blood to escape his wound. It didn't hurt, it just looked like it should have. "Maybe they'll actually forget it, if Vitani keeps her mouth shut."

Hatari suddenly extended all the claws of her left paw, holding them up slightly for Jaribu and Kitambi to see. "You need me to set her straight, Kitambi? Maybe I can get something done…"

"No, we don't have to do that just yet." He pondered for a second. "Well actually… That might just be a good idea Hatari."

Hatari smirked. "I always have the best ideas."

Jaribu broke the direction of the conversation for a moment: "But we have quite a dilemma, remember? We should get either Kovu, or this Kopa character on our side. It would help drastically. If there's another Kovu running around, we're never gonna get anything done. Simba's gonna keep filthily ruining these beautiful lands, and we'll probably get exiled eventually."

Kitambi shook his head violently, taking in his surroundings. The entire land was spinning a little bit. It was as close to a near death experience as it came. Kitambi literally thought he was going to die not more than ten minutes ago, and he was expected to think out a plan so suddenly? He was shaken down to the bone, that was for sure. "I know. We really have to work on that."

"Well you _were_ getting close to Kovu, but I doubt he wants to see you after that. I mean, killing someone's sister isn't exactly a friendly thing to do, big boy," Hatari added, mimicking the way Jaribu would end most sentences when she was talking to her mate.

"I tried, Hatari! Now it's your turn," Kitambi responded, looking towards the tip of Pride Rock that was visible. Simba was standing there, looking down at something. Probably Kovu and Vitani, and this new lion named Kopa. The plan had been basically ruined in a few short minutes. He wasn't gonna pretend to be okay with that. "You better not disappoint."

…

Maybe it was an amazing thing that this happened, right?

I mean, it took a lot of the weight off my shoulders. It wasn't decided or anything, or even pondered, and even though I was new to the whole royal protocol thing, I knew what was gonna happen. I was no longer prince. Kopa was. At least I hoped that was the outcome of all this. Even Simba told me himself. I didn't know anything about the difference between right or wrong. I could easily become the next Scar in an instant. This whole few weeks would have just been a sick break from my journey to completing what he set out to do, to rule the Pride Lands. And eventually destroy it.

He was quite a curious lion, that was for sure. He was actually a lot like I was merely a week ago, when I was more animalistic than anything. No feelings, no compassion for anything. Just a systematic monster. There was a lot more in common here than between me and Kitambi surprisingly, and getting to know my father figure's actual son would probably be a good idea.

Kiara was ecstatic about her brother. She had barely been told about him, and Kopa hadn't even been told about Kiara at all. It was a heartwarming scene and all, and that was the end of it. Kiara had spent the rest of the day with me up until the point that she left a short few minutes ago, mentally preparing herself for the fact that the brother she barely was even told of that was supposed to be dead was back. She was gonna have to live with that fact.

I could tell it was on her mind, whether she wanted to admit it or not. She had the same thought on her mind, about whether or not I'd be prince any longer. And whether she'd be princess any longer. Except I'm sure she was more saddened by this fact, though none of this was at all communicated. I was content if that was gonna happen. But I felt for her. Simba even said himself that having a daughter was a disappointment.

And now I was walking towards the lion known as Kopa, son of Simba. The one who didn't even exist until this morning.

It was well past nightfall, and Kopa hadn't been seen until just an hour ago, wandering the Pride Lands, looking up at the stars. He had every reason to look confused and what not. I would be too if this was my first time in the home I had once had. Five years ago. Woulda sucked to be him, honestly more than it sucks to be me.

He was just sitting there, looking at his reflection in the watering hole. It was something I did a lot when I wasn't sure of myself. It was something I had done just this morning, after I had that whole talk with Simba. I wanted to be sure I hadn't morphed or something, that the king of the Pride Lands could actually see me as a future king.

I walked up to him, and he sensed me. He didn't react, but I could see in his ears that he had noticed me. Maybe he knew it was me? I sat down right next to him and looked down into the water myself, laughing.

"Having a hard time adjusting?"

He looked at me. "You have no idea what I've been through. Just to figure out my whole life's been a lie for about… Oh, I don't know, the entire thing?"

Nice conversation so far. "I know exactly what you mean."

He squinted. "What do you mean?"

I laughed. "Well… It's a long story actually. You got time?"

He looked around. "Well I'd much rather get to know you than face all of the lionesses around here. I can only take so much at one time, you know?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I know." I sighed and looked down at my reflection, and he took the cue to do the same. "Basically… Well, what did Simba tell you about me so far?"

He smiled. I could see it in his reflection. "Well from what he told me, we should get along together quite well I think."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Basically that you're a great guy I guess. You've made Kiara happy as possible, he assured me. And that you're probably not to be messed with."

I laughed. "He said that? I'm sure we're a good match though… You seem to have been through it all."

He grimaced at that thought. Just like me, he knew how much it hurt inside. How drastically different it was from being where we were, than to where we were now. "Sure I have. But anyways, go on with what you were gonna say."

"Oh yeah." I paused, looking down at the ripples in the water, observing their every move for a moment before continuing. "Basically I was exiled at an age too young to remember."

"What were you exiled for?"

Should I really give him a whole guilt trip for just being alive? Indirectly, it was because of him I was exiled. But no blame needed to be placed right now. Everyone was probably happy he was home, I didn't wanna ruin his first night. "Uh… no one's told me still. I don't ask."

He nodded. "Well basically I was trained for my whole life to hate Simba, and eventually I came to the Pride Lands after rescuing Kiara in a fire. A fire that I started, granted." It was harsh remembering her lifeless body laying down, just waiting to be rescued. I can't believe I used her in a pawn for my mother's scheme. It sickened me. "I gained Simba's trust and eventually, in the course of a couple days, I fell in love with Kiara. I couldn't kill Simba anymore, I just couldn't. So after awhile, Zira, my mother, framed me for luring Simba to his death and I was exiled once again. Kiara found me, and by the time we got back, there was a full out war between the exiled lions, and the Pridelanders."

"The exiled lions?" Kopa asked. He had stopped looking at his reflection and up at the stars. Probably at the same constellations that me and Kiara looked at that first night. One of the best nights of my life, if you asked me.

"Yeah. I was exiled with a bunch of lionesses including my mother, Vitani, and Nuka."

Kopa seemed troubled by this. "Nuka? Where is he?"

Kovu sighed. "Were you friends with him?"

Kopa nodded.

"Because of me, he was killed. Trying to kill Simba. Trying to impress Zira up until the last moment of his short life."

Kopa sighed now too, like it was a blow to the stomach. "Everything's changed beyond belief… It's like nothing will ever be the same. I miss playing with Nuka and Vitani, back when everything was okay…"

I placed my paw over his understandingly. "Hey, I'm sorry."

"So what happened after that?"

I took my paw off of his awkwardly. "Basically the prides reunited and I was accepted as prince." "Nice story I guess."

"What's your story, Kopa?"

Kopa laughed. "You don't really wanna hear it." Before I could say that I did, he started up again. "Basically I'll sum it up real quick. Going from pride to pride, having to fend for myself, never having a real home, many, many mates, and never having a true family. Until now maybe."

"Oh." I felt sorry for the lion. Sure, I had been trained like I had my whole life, taught to hate and everything. But at least it was by my own mother. And I had had Nuka and Vitani to hang out with the entire time, whether Nuka was such a great conversation over the years. God how I missed him, his awkward walk, the whole talk of the termites he was convinced were on him…

"Don't feel sorry though." He got up and stretched. "I'm tired beyond belief. I really don't wanna have all this awkward reuniting crap happen again tomorrow, Kovu. What am I gonna do to avoid it? I just want it all to mellow out."

I smirked. "Me and Kiara are open for talking any time. She's a little scared too."

He laughed. "Night, my friend."

…

Kitambi smirked.

"Perfect," he stammered, watching both Kovu and Kopa walk away. "That's the king's son. Looks like we might just have leverage in the situation again. Prepare, Simba."

And with that, Kitambi slowly walked back to Jaribu, probably anxiously waiting for him, gossiping with Hatari about how bad a mate he was.


	13. Ch13 RiffRaff

She was happy to actually get something done for once in this mistake of a plan.

Kitambi was the biggest walking flaw, but even she admitted that she gave him a little too much defiance. He was her king, and even though she was much smarter, and could fend herself off from lions and lionesses better than him, even if he was male, he deserved some amount of respect. No matter how minute.

Hatari had already located Vitani. She was stupidly alone, after just being viciously attacked the day before. She wondered to herself how dumb a lioness could be. She knew how much more attractive she was in comparison to her. And it was such a waste that _that_ was Kovu's older sister…

Kovu.

You couldn't even get her to start to talk about him, because if Hatari did, the conversation was bound to last decades. She was constantly commenting on his looks, how good he looked, how much more he had going for him in comparison to Kitambi. She especially loved rubbing that in. She was even jealous when Kitambi developed a friendship with him. She had seen him a few times before, but past that, there was not much to say about her and him except for the fact of how much she admired him. And even when they had talked those few times, she had made a complete fool out of herself, by talking like a cub would when startled by something. Hatari kept stumbling on her words, and every word she did get out would just be a few words out of some clever sentence she could come up with trying to flirt with him. To no avail.

But besides the point, her mission today was much different. And if everything worked out in the end, who knew? Maybe Kovu would be all hers. The plan did involve a lot to do with Kiara now…

No use explaining Kitambi's rambling meeting with her and Jaribu, where he would think of something 'brilliant', and Hatari would in turn degrade him even further than anyone thought possible. And even Jaribu had to laugh at Hatari's constant sarcasm. It was her staple, no matter how annoying it got.

Vitani was just sitting by a rock, her eyes shut. She was obviously soaking in the rays of the sun, and by the skinny condition of her body, it seemed like she didn't even stop to eat for that matter. She must've been one of those dumb lionesses of 'simple pleasures'.

Hatari calmly walked her way over to the resting body of Vitani, knowing exactly what to do. It would be simple, just a short and sweet, to the point threat.

Hatari smacked Vitani, without any claws erect. There was no use in harming her off the back. She quickly woke up, startled.

"Who're you?"

Hatari had never introduced herself to the lioness, as she hadn't deemed it worthy even. She envied what she had with Kovu, even if it was only a sibling relationship. She didn't deserve to be in the same room with the lion. "Hi, I'm Hatari." She tried to give off a fake smile, an evil one. Vitani shook her head.

"You're one of them?"

She must have been referring to Kitambi's pride, as there was no lioness she hadn't at least met in the Pride Lands that had originally been apart of Simba's pride.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Yes, I'm apart of Kitambi's little posse of lionesses. But you listen here. I'm also something else. Something much more personal to you."

Vitani could tell where the general direction of the conversation was headed. She swallowed the spit at the back of her throat and cringed slightly before asking her question. "And what is that then?"

"Your worst nightmare."

Vitani got up. "Listen… I don't want anything to do with what you guys are doing. Please just let me go, no one deserves to die…"

"I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Don't hurt me! Please!"

Hatari rolled her eyes at the lioness, for her complete ignorance. She hadn't even listened to what she had just said. Probably out of being so scared, no doubt. At least Kitambi had done something relatively right. Scaring the lioness half to death was better than not affecting them at all. The whole plan was devised on the fact that the consequences of the lionesses they wanted to control as pawns would far outweigh them not complying. But as in real life, there were never any real life heroes. Martyrs didn't exist.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

She came to some realization of some sort. "You're not?" she asked, releasing herself from her extremely timid position slightly.

"No. But I will if you don't do exactly as I say."

Vitani didn't like where this was going. She shook her head. "What do you want? Why do you have to choose me? I never even met any of you before yesterday, and that was only Kitambi…"

It was extremely hard to talk to this lioness. Hatari missed the intellectuality that manifested itself in Jaribu, her best friend. "Because you're the sister of someone special." Hatari smirked, thinking of what she was convinced would be her future mate. Hatari was attractive, after all. It could have been possible…

"Kovu?"

"No! Good job, Vitani." Hatari shook her head in pure disgust. "Tell everyone the 'truth'." She put emphasis on the word 'truth', for the fact that the truth she wanted her to tell wouldn't be truthful at all. But no one had to know that.

"What? Let me guess. It has something to do with yesterday obviously…"

"Tell Kovu, Kopa, Simba, all them that yesterday wasn't what it looked like. Make up an excuse for it. Kitambi is a good lion, and he's not facing anyone because he knew how bad it must have looked on his part."

Vitani shook her head. "You two are truly despicable, you know that?"

She just laughed at Vitani, and spit on the ground near her left paw. "I know that pretty well by now, Vitani. And if you don't do that…" she let her sentence trail off.

"What?"

"I'll have to kill you."

…

It was great knowing what I saw was just a fluke. A hoax. Fake.

Vitani had even come up to me herself not too long ago and told me what had actually happened. And, after all, she was the one attacked. No matter how bad the situation looked for my friend, it was amazing to know he wasn't a cold blooded killer. Close call though, huh?

Apparently they had been just about to mate or something? That made Vitani just a little bit weird. Who mates like that? Someone who had a brother like me, just as strange, I'm sure.

So now I guess it was back to how it was two days ago. Save for the fact that there was a new lion in the pride who was Simba's long lost son, and I was pushed out of becoming king. A spot that I was getting used to talking about, getting used to embracing. I mean, I couldn't be sore about it, I didn't deserve it. Being around Simba, Kiara, and even Kitambi distracted me from the fact that I shouldn't deserve to be prince of these lands, and now, Kopa's return reminded me of the fact. I was a second generation Scar, waiting to come out. And now I could just live life with Kiara, and not worry about the fact that when I turned against them, that I would do any harm. I wouldn't be king. I deserved this.

Kitambi and me were just laying under Pride Rock like we had done before, talking. I needed someone to keep me sane. Kiara kept talking about how weird it was having Kopa around, and that's literally it. I was readily becoming second best, shut out from this new lion that hadn't even been here for five years. I guess I know how Nuka felt now…

"He sure is a strange one."

I laughed at Kitambi. He was being awkward, trying to make small conversation. Anyone would be awkward if they had been accused of trying to kill my sister. I wasn't going to be humble about the fact that I could probably rip any lioness or lion to shreds in the entire lands, save for Kopa. That was a tricky thing to go on. "Yeah. How would you know? You haven't even been in sight of Pride Rock since he got here yesterday."

Kitambi returned the laugh. "I was making sure you knew before I confronted you. I was waiting until Vitani would finally get over all the long lost friend stuff."

I had filled him in on the whole story, about how Kopa was Simba's long lost son, about how him, my brother, and Vitani used to be best friends before Kopa disappeared from the Pride Lands. He was amazed actually, seeing as how it was probably a one in a million chance any of the stuff had happened like it did. But Kitambi had been staying somewhere hidden for the last day and a half after the whole incident yesterday, for good reason.

"I know, I know. You had reason to though, I know. And I guess he is a little… distant. But I was when I was first settling in here. I kept thinking Scar was gonna get the best of me. I still know he is, it's just a matter of when…"

"Pshh," he retorted, thinking my last comments ludicrous. "Let me assure you, Kovu. You're a great lion, you're not going to follow the steps of your deranged sociopath adoptive father who died before you could even lay eyes on him. See how stupid that sounds on your part?"

"You don't get it, Kitambi. And frankly, I don't want you to get it. I don't even get it. I just know something's gonna happen. I'm not pure like everyone thinks I am. I wish I could just get away from this all before I hurt anyone, but Kiara's too attached to me. And I love her too."

Kitambi shook his head. "You never talked so dark like this until today. What changed, Kovu? I mean I understand you not wanting to talk about it…"

"No I get why you're asking, Kitambi." He actually cared. It was good to have a friend for once. "I guess it's because Kopa's here and all…" I hushed my voice. The last thing I needed was for Kopa to hear. Or worse, for Simba to. "I feel… Almost like second best now. Everyone cared before he came here…"

"He's only been here for a day and a half, Kovu."

I nodded. "Yeah, I know I'm overreacting. But seriously, Kiara's talking to me like I'm a wall, about how she's so scared her brother came back, and how excited she is at the same time. And the worst thing is…" Was I really that conceited to think that?

He noticed I had paused. "What?"

I guess I was conceited to think it. Even though I in no way deserved the relationship in the first place, I was reacting to it being torn away from me so rapidly. I was overreacting big time. "Simba told me he looked to me like I was his son. I've never had a father." I paused, getting emotional a little. Was I really even thinkin about this? Kopa deserved all the fatherly love he could get. But… So could I, honestly. "Or even a father figure. And now I never will, Kitambi."

He frowned. Did he see how bogus I was sounding, too? "Kovu, that's horrible. Kopa has no right to take that away from you, if you ask me."

I was puzzled. Usually, even though sometimes the truth was hard, Kitambi agreed with my inner voice. The inner voice that was usually right, about how I didn't deserve anything I had. The hard truths. "Huh?"

"You've had a horrible life. You still deserve Simba to be your father in a sense. No one should take that stability away from you."

"Well…" I didn't know what to say, actually. But I saw his logic. Was he right?

"Well what? Kovu you deserve so much better than what you're thinking you do. You're a good lion, put up against some not-so-good circumstances. You've been deprived enough, haven't you? You deserve to want Simba as a father, and you need it more than some distant cold hearted lion that can walk into these lands and act like he owns them. Think about it, Kovu."

And with that, he got up. "Where you goin'?"

He smirked at me, then turned his head back in the direction he was going, away from Pride Rock's base. "I have to go do some things."

…

He waited until his mother left, giving him an embrace before she descended down the steps, down to where Kovu and Kiara were undoubtedly talking, by the watering hole. Now it was just him and Simba, father and son. Kopa spoke up first, Simba being in a state of relaxation, looking out at his lands. Even though Kopa had only been there for a short time, he could tell Simba was more into the small things. Something that didn't relate.

"You wanted to talk with me, father?"

He shook his head at Kopa, and then made eye contact. "You could call me dad or something. Father seems so… formal?"

Kopa was not the one to make things personal, though. He had been alone for five years of his life. And he was only five and a half, as he knew it. "Alright. Dad, you wanted to talk with me?" He put emphasis on the dad, to make sure Simba got how ridiculous the request was.

He got the hint of sarcasm, rolling his eyes at his son. "You've heard me talk a lot about Kovu lately. Scar's heir."

Yeah, he had. Kopa even felt left out. Even though he wasn't the one to make things personal, even with his own family at this point, it was a little disturbing that almost all he talked about with him was Kovu. Kovu wasn't even his son, and surely not the son that hadn't been here for five years before now. It was getting on every one of Kopa's last nerves, actually, and although he wasn't the jealous type, he couldn't help but feel second best.

"Yeah?" He responded, well knowing where this was going. Another conversation about how he should learn a thing or two from _Kovu,_ or how he should talk more to him. Annoying. As if being confronted by all these weird lionesses and family members he could only vaguely remember wasn't weird or annoying enough. He would rather talk to _Kovu._

And it was mostly just today that he started the talk. Kopa had had the sunset with his dad, and all they talked about was past events, what had happened only weeks ago before Kopa had arrived. It drove him crazy, just sitting there and agreeing with his father. He had never had to kiss up to anyone before. I mean, Simba had shown him some major love, and the first few hours were awkward, yet heartwarming. But this morning was just stupid. And Kopa had never had to kiss up to anyone before. He wasn't about to now.

"I just wanted you to know something, Kopa." He walked towards his son.

"Alright. What is it?"

Simba tilted his head a little and smiled. "My god… You have your mother's eyes, you know that? That amazing blue color. You've grown up to be such a strong lion…"

Kopa merely laughed at his father. He couldn't blame him, after having not seen him for so long. It was nice. "C'mon, dad. What did you want to tell me? I don't like stalling."

"You're right. I am stalling, in a way. I mean I don't even know if you thought about what I'm going to tell you, but I don't want you wondering later. I just have to be up front with you about it." He was done tilting his head, and had more of a serious overtone now.

He squinted at Simba, intrigued a little. "You can tell me. I'm your son, after all."

A smile slipped from Simba before he spoke, which turned quickly to an emotionless slit. "Kovu is prince you know…"  
>It had actually come up in his mind, and he was glad that it had come up. After all those years in other, foreign prides, all alone at heart, the least Simba could do would assure him of his kingship. He had come back to save the lands from itself, even, no matter if it needed saving or not. Kopa would have come back years sooner if he had known what Zira told him were lies so long ago. And now, at least some of the damage could be resolved. Taking the crown away from Scar's heir of all lions, and giving it to him.<p>

He reasoned that Kovu had to be a plan B of sorts. After losing Kopa, Simba must've had Kiara, and then just didn't have any more cubs after that. When Kovu and Kiara happened to fall in love, and Kovu stopped his evil rampage that would've eluded to Simba's death, Simba must have been happy to finally find a male to take his place. No matter how second rate that lion was, Simba had to settle. But now, now there was true blood to take his place. All Kopa would need was to find a lioness, and honestly, with a few of the lionesses he had seen lying around, it wouldn't have been that much of a problem…

"Yeah. I know Kovu's prince. And?" He tried to play it off cool. It's not every day you're told you're going to be prince of the Pride Lands, of all places.

"Oh. And you're okay with that?"

What did he just say?

"Umm… what, dad?"

Simba looked at Kopa strangely. "Are you okay with that? Kovu being king? I'm just checking with you."

Kopa gasped on the inside. Was enraged for a moment. The spot that was rightfully his… taken? By a second rate emotionally wreckless lion that didn't deserve to be living? He had been banished in the first place. Had Simba lost it in the years that Kopa hadn't been there? It might've been a possibility. Kopa deserved it more than anybody. He had practically trained for it for five years!

"Okay?" He was numb at this point.

"Yeah. I'm just asking."

He took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. He couldn't show his anger. It would show his emotions. And good kings never showed emotions, merely ruled over their kingdoms with a stern paw. "But I'm…" He thought for a word to use. "Blood?"

Simba grimaced. He could tell his son was a little uneasy about what he had just told him. "Yes, but Kovu was here longer…"

"By a week and a half. I know very well what happened. You were very descriptive this morning."

Simba shook his head. "Well it's good you were listening…"

He couldn't hold in his anger. He just couldn't. How could he have even lasted this long? "Yes, I was listening! I'm your son, and all you were talking about was Kovu! Kovu this, Kovu that, Kovu here, Kovu there, Kovu everywhere! Yeah I get it! But really? If I would've come just a week and a half sooner, maybe even two weeks…"

Simba put his paw on his son's paw, in an attempt to calm him down. He was surprised at his son's reaction, to say the least. "Kopa! Stop!"  
>He calmed down. He looked into his father's eyes, pleading for his paw not to smack Simba off of Pride Rock. It was his father, after all. "Dad. How could you… How could you do this to me?" He choked on his words a little, not believing what he was hearing.<p>

"Kopa. I know Kovu now. Kiara deserves the throne, too. You can't deny her that."

He gulped. He needed to stand up to his father. "Yeah? Well guess what. I'm first born, dad."

Simba stared at his son for a moment, stunned at the selfishness being shown from him. "Kopa. Be happy for your sister. I love you, I'm so glad you're home. Honestly. But I'm sorry, Kopa. Being king isn't that big of a deal, trust me. Please understand where I'm coming from, son…"

"Yeah, I got you." Kopa got up from a sitting position, heading towards the steps of Pride Rock. "But I don't have to agree with it." And with that he ran off.

…

I just laughed at her. She always knew how to make me laugh, if only for a second.

"And then remember how oblivious we were? Really? There are no such thing as prickly green floating rocks in the water…"

"Yeah. But if I hadn't decided to save you, then you would've died, princess." I meant to add the last part, like all those times I used to add it sarcastically when I was still on the whole mission stuff. Back when Kiara was just a pawn. Such an amazing pawn she turned out to be.

We had been talking about when we were so much younger, about when she had stumbled upon me for the first time. She had liked me from the beginning, I knew it. Even if she didn't want to admit it. It reminded me of the good days, when everyone was just cubs. Sure, I never had an extensively good childhood, but everyone misses being a child. Being fully grown meant responsibilities, regardless of the fact I had just dodged most of them by Kopa's return. And any moment of Kiara not talking about her brother was a moment warmly welcome…

We just stared into each other's eyes for a while. She was so beautiful, I was so dark. But I was finally getting the fact that opposites can attract.

"Oh, shut up, Kovu." She playfully smacked me on the face, gently. "If it weren't for me, you would've been the only one out on the alligator's backs in the first place. Prince."

I laughed. "You know, Kiara… It's moments like these."

"Umm, Kovu?"

Moments like these interrupted.

"What?"

"It's Kopa. He looks mad. He's a little bit away. I think something happened."

I rolled my eyes, without her seeing. I wanted nothing more than to spend some quality time with Kaira, not the lion I was going to be compared to for the rest of my life in the Pride Lands. But anything for her was something worth it, in the end.

I sighed and got up, joining her in walking over to Kopa.

She was first to speak when we got to him, putter her paw on his shoulder, trying not to be too abrasive. "What happened, Kopa? Are you alright?"

I must have been mistaken, but I thought I saw a little hatred ebb from his eyes. It was a creepy though, but one I'm sure I mistook. He spoke, obviously angered greatly by something. "I'm fine. Really."

Kiara wasn't a fool. "C'mon, Kopa. What happened? You were fine not too long ago."

I knew it wasn't in my place to even speak in the moment, having only had one conversation with him, last night. And it wasn't lengthy by any means. And of course we barely chatted on the way to Pride Rock for what was his first time in five years, but I knew I would've been more encompassed in the thoughts of finally seeing my father. I actually still didn't know that feeling. "Yeah, Kopa. What's up?"

He shot me this look, like I needed to butt out. I didn't need to be told twice.

"It's honestly nothing." He gave Kiara a look, a look that told her something I didn't pick up from it. Kiara grimaced, and turned to me suddenly, starting to eye me up.

"Do you wanna talk alone, Kopa?"

He looked at me again, like I shouldn't have even been there. "If that's alright with you, your highness." It was sarcastic and forced, even Kiara could tell.

"You don't have to call me highness…" If anything, I should be kissing up to him. "I'll leave."

Kiara nodded at me, then took her paw off of her mourning brother's shoulder. I could hear them talk about something before they walked out of audible distance, something discretely about me. Great. Now I was second best, and hated? I hadn't even done anything to the guy, I don't think. He was less than nice to me…

I sighed. I was tired of not fitting in. I was especially tired of not being understood. And if anything, I was tired of never having someone looking over my shoulder, watching out for me. The closest I got was Kitambi, but I wanted something more. I wanted Simba. And that was about to be taken from me.

Just then, that same dumb bird that had called me 'riff-raff' not too long ago landed by one of my paws. It was the majordomo, Zazu. Simba's right hand bird, and only bird, for that matter.

He bowed to me a little, still making eye contact. He spoke:

"Sire, Simba requests your presence. It is urgent."

I tilted my head at the bird, who finally got up from his bowing position. "Simba? What does he need?"

"He didn't specify. But if I were to put a feather on it, I would say it has something to do with his son walking off just now. But you didn't hear it from me, sire."

I shook my head. "It's Kovu. I'm no sire."

He hobbled around on his feet for a second before lifting off, now eye level with me. "I wouldn't be so sure to say that if I were you, Kovu. Now go. Riff-raff." He smiled at me, as if it was his way of being funny. I even laughed again. Can't hold a grudge, right?

…

"Kovu." Simba shook his head in disappointment. He was obviously hurt. Maybe his son had done something? What did it matter though. It was his son. He would never do anything wrong in Simba's eyes… On the other hand, I could do a lot. I had done a lot.

"Simba. What happened?"

All Simba could do was keep shaking his head. "I just don't know what to do. Kopa isn't like me. Like how I though he would've been like, Kovu. I'm such a bad father."

I walked further up to him, looking him straight in the eyes. I could tell he had been crying a little bit, because there was still redness around his pupils. It was a devastating scene, actually. I had never seen the strong king break down before, and I didn't think I ever would. His son obviously meant so much to him.

I coughed, clearing my throat to speak. "Please, Simba. You didn't know, you couldn't have known."

"I could've searched for him. I shouldn't have accepted the fact that he was dead so soon. What kind of father does that, Kovu?"

I sighed, almost chuckling. "A father like how I'll probably be, Simba. Please, don't be so down on yourself. What happened?"

He was really shaken. It was really worrying. Where was Nala through all this? Did Simba really trust me this much? It was flattering, but it still didn't relieve the fact that Kopa was still lurking around. And now him and Kiara were talking. He was undoubtedly making me second best in her eyes, too.

"Don't say that, Kovu. You're going to be much greater than I ever was."

I squinted. "Maybe a father. But leave that up to Kopa…"

"That's just it. I didn't even think of telling you. I'm sorry it hasn't come up yet."

I laughed at him. "Whatever it is, it's alright, Simba. It's only been a day or so. Don't be so down on yourself." I was intrigued nonetheless.

"Kovu, you're the reason why Kopa just stormed off. He feels betrayed because I still want you to be king."

What?

Kopa was his own flesh and blood. It didn't make sense…

From the time I had been little, I was trained to kill Simba. I was a cold blooded killer, and now that his own flesh and blood had finally showed up in the picture, he didn't need me anymore. And I knew for a fact that Simba had no choice in making me prince before. But not he had a choice. He was choosing the wrong decision.

I mean, sure, I didn't know who Kopa was. I didn't know what kind of stuff he had been doing all this time, alone as a rogue. He could've been killing off lions for fun, for all that I knew. He actually seemed like the type. But anyone even somehow closely related to Simba must've been a wise person, to say the least. Kiara, Nala… And now Kopa.

"Simba, Kopa's your son."

"And so are you. You married Kiara, remember? You've been like a son to me, Kovu. You've just proven yourself over Kopa so far." He hung his head, as if disgusted by what he had just admitted.

"Simba…" It was a lot to take in. It was actually scary to know that I was still going to have so much responsibility, so many expectations to live up to. If Kopa was that shaken up about the fact that he wasn't going to inherit all of that, then he was obviously the better pick, right? "I don't know what to say. I'm… Kopa deserves it, Simba. You don't have to settle for me anymore." There.

Simba just looked at me like I was stupid. "Kovu, I was never settling. Stop comparing yourself to Scar…"

"I haven't even said Scar's name, Simba."

"Then you think I'm stupid? You're really an obvious lion, Kovu. No offense to that, I hope."

I shook my head. "No offense. But Simba, think about it. No matter what, I've been brought up for four years to be evil. At least you have a chance that he's made some right choices. I'd rather have a chance of being wrong than being wrong straight out the gate…"

Simba smiled at me. It was a paradox, seeing Simba's bloodshot eyes after crying, yet seeing him smiling to widely. "You think way too much Kovu. Do you remember what I said?"

He said a lot the past few days. None as weird as this, though. "What? Do I remember what, Simba?"

"When your pride attacked me. Right before it. Do you remember what I said?"

I thought back. There was sure a lot of talking. I mean, a lot of it went straight out one ear by the time it went in the other, but it was only because I was trying to decide how to tell him that the whole thing was a scam. That I had been sent to kill him in the first place. "No."

He chuckled. "That a new generation can be better than the last. If given the chance." He paused. "And you've been given the chance, Kovu. Please."

I understood. But I wasn't anywhere near ready for all this, I had to admit. I was an animal. I had to be so sure that everything was out of my system. "What about Kopa? Is he going to be alright?" I broke an awkward silence of Simba letting his statement attempt to stick with me. Simba's wisdom would always stick with me, even when he was gone.

"I don't know. I don't want him to hate me or anything, but you're the rightful prince, in my eyes."

"Why aren't you going to give him a chance?"

He paused for a second. "Things are not given to ones without patience, Kovu. I want you to always remember that, if anything."


	14. Ch14 Patience

He hated that dark lion for every molecule in him, no matter how much his sister was going to tell him otherwise. That it wasn't Kovu's fault for becoming prince of the Pride Lands. That was like comparing a lion to a bug and saying the bug could easily be the winner. Was everybody intact around here, all right? It didn't seem like anyone was thinking right to him. Who wouldn't crown their one and only son, and instead basically adopt the enemy's son? And sure, his sister was part of the reason. But again, it wasn't even a fair comparison, between him and her. Kopa was much more stronger, intellectual… handsome. Not like she would know anything about those qualities. She probably hadn't even laid a paw outside the Pride Lands since the day she was born.

Deep down he knew he shouldn't be thinking this. Kovu had just came up to him merely a few nights ago and had tried to console him. He must have had a kind soul. But even deeper down, he knew for a fact that this Kovu lion didn't deserve the crown at all. It was his possession by birth right. Kopa hadn't been born to kill Simba, king of the Pride Lands. Kopa had been born _from_ Simba, king of the Pride Lands. Anyone still wondering how this makes sense?

Kopa was just… Kopa didn't even know what he was doing. He was still in pure shock. Kiara had tried consoling him, but even his own sister couldn't get through to him. Kovu had tried to confront him, after undoubtedly talking to Simba. Why didn't they just get married already? They spent so much bonding time. Sure, not nearly as much him and Simba, but still a noticeable amount. Kopa was his son, not Kovu.

He was laying down, looking up the sun, squinting for the life of him. It was a horribly stupid idea to try and look directly at the sun, but who even cared at this point? He wasn't going to be king. Eyes were for kings, not Kopa.

How bizarre was he sounding? He shouldn't have functioning eyes, just because some washed up king told him that he shouldn't be king? The old Kopa would've overthrown Simba, killed Kovu, and become the true king, like he was meant to be. But… it was different this time. Kovu was now technically family, and he meant technically to the fullest degree. There was no way that dark and insufficient lion would ever become a brother to him. It was different this time mostly because the king he wanted to take over, was his father. King Simba.

Kopa heard something in the distance. It was the snap of a twig, and a heavy one at that.

Kopa had been through everything, actually. He had witnessed the entire massacre of a pride, just for the bettering of the land. He had seen lions kill one another over scraps, and lions being trampled by elephants. The least he could have picked up from all these lessons was the ability of knowing whether or not a lion was about to approach. This was one of those times.

He slowly got up and turned around. There was a lion standing basically in front of him, no more than five yards away. He was black, just like Kovu. And familiar…

It was the lion who had been mistaken for trying to kill his friend, actually.

Kopa sighed with relief, not seeing any danger. Vitani herself had even told him that Kitambi was no threat to anybody, that what Kopa had seen that day was the beginning of a mating process. He bought it readily, not wanting to believe that his best friend in the Pride Lands right now was mortal in any way. He had confided in her so much lately, especially this morning, when he was in his worst state. She was always first to lend an ear, and the first to offer advice. They had caught up just like old times. It was the only thing keeping Kopa sane at this point.

"Hey, Kopa."

It was very nonchalant, considering what he had been accused of not very long ago. Things should've been a little more… awkward?

"Hello…" Kopa pretended to forget Kitambi's name, in any case that it would strike up some conversation. Even Kopa had to admit he was bad at the whole making conversation nonsense. He was the type to get to the point and get information out of a lion, and then leaving. He had bonded with a few lionesses here and there, sure, but even then it was awkward for him. He was more of one to show what he could do, not just talk about it.

"Kitambi. I think you remember me." He laughed, walking closer.

"Oh, from the other day!" Kopa must have sounded stupid.

"Yeah. Sorry about the wrong idea. I just ran so fast because I didn't want anything to happen. Just wanted you to calm down."

Kopa looked at Kitambi's chest for a moment, observing the fact that the hole was still there, from where he had stuck his nails in. He felt guilty for a moment. "Yeah, sorry about the whole me pinning you down stuff."

He looked at Kopa for a second, then looked down to his chest, as if in realization. "Oh, you mean this old thing? Don't mention it, it doesn't even hurt."

Kopa laughed, merely. "Oh, I bet."

Kitambi advanced the rest of the distance between them and sat down. Maybe he was expecting Kopa to do the same? "So you're new here, I hear?"

Kopa sat down. No need to be rude to someone who had actually had the courage to talk to him. "Yeah. It's a long story."

"Same here. I don't know if it's as long as yours, but I'm really new here too. You okay? You seemed really… depressed. That's why I came to talk to you."

Kopa was intrigued at this point. "Well thanks, I guess. I didn't know you were new here."

He laughed. "Actually, yeah. I had a pride of only six, including me. And if we didn't head for better lands I was afraid we would be attacked by neighboring prides, or something along the lines of that. So we found this place, and Simba took us in."

"Oh," Kopa responded mildly.

"What's your story, Kopa? You seem like you've gone through quite a lot."

Kopa didn't honestly know whether or not he could trust this new acquaintance. He wanted to believe he could trust people, but after seeing what he had seen so many times over, it seemed that trust was a weakness. You just had to do everything for yourself, never make yourself vulnerable, and attempt to survive. That was all it took to live. That was even his response, when lionesses used to ponder things such as the meaning of life, why lions were put here on the first place.

"Well…" He cleared his throat a little bit, in no mood to talk. No one understood how he felt. Neither did he. "Well, at a young age I was Simba's son. Some lioness tricked me into running away and said Simba had died. I believed her, stupidly. So, for five years, I was a rogue. Plain and simple. And now I'm back." There, no harm no foul. It was simple, yet explanatory.

Kitambi gave Kopa a face that told him he wanted to hear more. "Kovu mentioned Simba was your father."

Unbeknownst to even himself, Kopa let out a snarl. Every time he would hear the name Kovu he would instinctively react like that. He was so deeply in anger…

"What… You're not a big fan of Kovu, are you?"

"Don't tell me he has fans at all." It was obvious how Kopa was putting his heart out on his sleeve. But he just had to let go of some of this hatred.

"Well… He has people that care about him, at least." Kitambi gave Kopa a weird expression, like he didn't understand where any of this was coming from.

"Sorry… I'm just… Yeah." It was the best response Kopa could come up with at the moment. He was so angry, and now, he figured, Kitambi was one of those lions that supported Kovu. There was no use in spilling any feelings to him.

"Wait, so you're Simba's son, right?" It sounded like an attempt in trying to change the direction of the conversation, which Kopa was alright with. Talking about anything else than Kovu was exactly what he needed at that point.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well… That means you're prince now instead of him."

It was like opening a scab that had just began to heal. I was about to lose it. Again, I was coming second best to a lion that didn't deserve anything he had right now. And now he had to talk about it to this lion, whom he had barely met?

"No." That's when the realization really hit. When he spoke about it out loud to another person, the realization that what he had worked for five years to do was for nothing. To be given away to Scar's heir, of all the possibilities.

"What? But isn't it your birthright?"

Kopa was visibly starting to get annoyed. "Yeah. But my dad doesn't think the same way you and I do, apparently."

Kitambi acted surprised, as if he didn't already know what had unfolded the previous day. "That's not right! You have the birthright. Kovu isn't his son, right?"

He got something right so far. "You'd think."

"Well you've got to talk about this to Simba. I mean, I've barely met you, but I can tell you deserve it more than that lion. Kovu doesn't even look like any of you. I mean, I'm not one to talk, but I'm new too. You look like a leader, on the other hand."

Kopa knew he did. He didn't have to be reminded of what he deserved. "I tried yesterday. That was the baffling part. Simba just doesn't get it."

Kitambi looked baffled. Kopa had to admit, Kitambi was a good listener in the least. "It doesn't matter whether or not Simba gets it, though. It's your rightful spot here." He paused for a second. "How you gonna fix that, Kopa?"

Kopa gave Kitambi a surprised look. What was he gonna do about that? He didn't have any slight knowledge about what to do. He had to admit, in any other situation, in any other pride, and in any other place he would've overthrown the king if he was supposed to be. He wasn't above killing even, and had often wounded other lions and lionesses to get his point across. He had just never come to the point of taking a life. Why should this be any different? Oh, right… Because it was his father. His irrational, stupid, cold-hearted father.

"I didn't think of that yet. I mean… there's nothing to do, Kitambi. Simba's my father. I can try and persuade him all I want, but I can't use force against my own father."

Kitambi nodded. "I guess I agree with you. But you have to admit, this just isn't fair."

Kopa nodded right back at him.

Kitambi then leaned in, craning his neck to whisper something into Kopa's ear. "And you wanna know something, Kopa?"

It was eerie, the tone of his voice. Kopa got goose bumps, despite the boiling anger he still had yet to relieve himself of. "What?" he responded slowly.

"I could help you out with all your problems. Just remember Kopa, if there's a will there's a way. Whenever you're ready for the way, come to me." With that, Kitambi got up from his spot, nodding farewell to the former prince of the Pride Lands.

…

So… yeah. Fun stuff.

In the course of just two days I had managed to make a new enemy, over a huge misunderstanding. And above it all, I didn't even wanna be king. I wasn't fit for kingship. What was I gonna do in a few years when I was king, blow the Pride Lands completely off the map? Everyone should have at least prepared for that much. I could see it now, looking all grey, out of food, barren, and dry. Just how Simba described it back when Scar had the throne. How could Simba be so ignorant? I mean, I loved Simba as a father figure. And I know that I wasn't about to come second best to anyone who had just returned after a five year hiatus of the Pride Lands. But this wasn't a wise decision by any means.

It was extremely awkward this morning when me and Kopa woke up at about the same time. I had attempted to at least say some nice words to him, but all he did was shoot me a look that told me I wasn't welcome to talk to him. It was sad, all I wanted to do was stop being misunderstood. I mean, there has never been a time where I didn't have someone genuinely hate me for no reason since my life even began. Sure, the most of it had faded recently, but I wasn't about to be hated again. Kopa had to know that it wasn't my choice, nor did I even want the throne. He seemed so angry all day…

"We really have to do something. I mean, look at him, the only one of us that could fight him would be Kovu. And I'd rather have that be a last option," Simba said, obviously concerned.

Me and Kaira had spent the entire day together, let alone for the time it took her to hunt. It was now midday, and Simba and Nala had summoned us, to talk about the whole Kopa situation. In fact, all Kiara talked about during the day was her thoughts on Kopa, how she thought I would be a better king anyways. And all I wanted to do was stare into those amazing eyes of hers, and talk. We hadn't got around to all that affectionate stuff we used to do lately, and it was getting on every one of my last nerves. Life was actually better before Kopa had came two days ago, whether or not that sounded selfish.

Now me, Kiara, Nala, and Simba were behind Pride Rock, near the very hole Kiara had admitted to escaping through when she had disobeyed her parents to go find me. It was ironic, if you asked me. And for the first time in a long time, I was at the center of all this worry and attention, but not for bad reasons, this time. I spoke up, to answer up to Simba's concerns:

"Why would I have to fight him? He doesn't seem that irrational."

"But none of us have seen him in at least five years. You and Kiara haven't seen him your whole life. We know nothing about him at all. And that's another reason why we're confident in picking you as prince, Kovu."

It was flattering, I had to admit. "I tried to talk to him yesterday. There was no end to the way he talked about you," Kiara said, looking at me.

She had already told me about what they had talked about. About how much he hated me with a passion, and how much of a bad influence I must have been on her so far. It was sickening. He didn't even know me, and already, like everyone had at one point or another, was straight up judging me. Amazing.

"What did he say about Kovu?" Simba asked.

"He just said how much he hated him. And how me and Kovu would never last." Kiara sighed, and I raised my paw to put it one hers, attempting to comfort her. I hated feeling pitied on, but I loved that Kiara actually cared for me. She knew how little self esteem I actually had when it came to things like these, she just didn't want me getting hurt.

"How dare he say that!" Simba said, slightly outraged, it seemed. "He has no right to butt into that kind of…"

"C'mon, Simba, he's just really hurt right now," I said, sighing right after. It was true. I wasn't the one to talk about people behind their backs. It was nonsense, and I even prided myself on looking down at Kiara when she would gossip around the Pride Lands. She respected why I didn't like it and usually stopped. Why add salt to an injury by spreading rumors and stuff? It was the lowest form of life, if you asked me. But I knew if I was more like Kiara, I would've said double the stuff Kiara told me Kopa had said. I couldn't blame him.

"Simba, I think you just need to talk to him," Nala suggested, nuzzling her mate's mane. I could only wish that me and Kiara would stay strong as they had through all this time. It was touching.

"I know, but look at the way he's treated us. Saying those things about Kovu? Disrespecting me like that?" He scoffed at the mere mention of the word disrespect. "I know I need to talk to him. But I'm almost sure he won't understand. And that's what makes my decision so firm. Just from what I've seen so far, and that's much, I can tell he's so… distant. Outlandish. And especially impatient, and just plain rude at points. Kovu would serve as a much better king."

"Simba," I said, sighing. "It was his birthright though. I would be really ticked off if this was happening to me. Maybe you made a mistake, Simba."

Nala was next to speak. "Kovu, I'm tired of hearing this. Have some confidence in yourself. You're going to be a great king."

Simba thought for a second, before breaking the silence. "What happens when we're gone though, Nala? There won't be me in the way anymore."

Kiara sighed, then nuzzled her nose into my mane. I smiled wildly, disregarding the point brought up. "I'm sure Kovu could more than take on Kopa, Simba." Nala smirked at me.

"I just hope we're all overreacting, and nothing becomes of this. Really. I've already lost him once, I don't wanna lose him again. Over something as stupid as this."

…

"Well the way I see it, you didn't really do anything wrong. He's a newcomer, he doesn't have the rights you've earned, Kovu."

I was just standing there, eyeing Kopa across the distance. It wasn't spying, as much as it was coincidental stalking. Or… yeah, spying was a better word. I saw him across the distance, so me and Kitambi had ducked, watching his every move for a few moments. He still seemed ticked off as ever, chatting it up with, of all animals, Timon and Pumbaa. They seemed to timid around Kopa, which was understood. I know if I was Timon's size I wouldn't go hanging out with severely pissed and muscular lions.

"I know I haven't done anything wrong. And I'm basically as much of a newcomer here as he is," I responded, keeping my eyes sharply ahead. We were behind a rock, and only my head and mane were sticking out. Hopefully he hadn't noticed me. That would only add to the unnecessary tension.

"But still less of a newcomer. And besides, you see how… how outlandish he acts? He's strange. I mean, I've tried talking to him. It's awkward."

"So? He still is Simba's son. I'm just a fake."

"You're no fake. I'd like you more as a son than… than him."

I shook my head at Kitambi. Was he kissing up to me just because I was gonna become prince, regardless? I mean, yeah, we'd been good friends for about a week now. But still, he never usually complimented me this much. I left that up to Kiara, even if all she had to talk about now was how much she was worried about Kopa, and how she didn't like how Hatari was always hitting on me. I pretended not to notice.

"Quit kissing up, Kitambi." I laughed softly, ducking all the way down behind the jutting out rock to face Kitambi directly. "Honestly though, what do you think'll happen? Nothing?"

Kitambi shrugged. "I mean you guys barely know the kid. Any of you, and especially you, Kovu. I'm sure he's not that hostile. I mean, he seems pissed, sure, but who would do anything with their father as king?"

"I guess you're right." And yet I wasn't so sure. I had premonitions about these kinds of things usually. From the second I met Kopa, actually, I just got this… eerie feeling about him. Like he was at great unrest or something.

"I know I'm right. How's Kiara? I haven't seen you guys together."  
>I got back up to look over the rock. Kitambi was still there, chatting the day away with Timon and Pumbaa. I mean, me and them had talked before. It was funny, actually. Pumbaa was wise beyond his years. I swear that Timon didn't give him enough credit. It was amazing that they had finally accepted me, but they accepted Kopa in a heartbeat. It was stupid. Then again it was Simba's son, right? I was more associated with Scar than anything else. "I guess you must've missed us lately. We've been doing good. How's Jaribu? I've seen her all of twice so far."<p>

"She's fine. I love her a lot. She's usually with Hatari, talking gossip or something. Like all the lionesses here do."

I growled. "I hate gossip. It's so pointless." Timon and Pumbaa were backing up slowly.

"I know, I know. You've said that before. What's so intriguing, Kovu?"

I couldn't believe my eyes, actually. Kopa was standing there smirking at Timon and Pumbaa one second, and then attacking them the next. Maybe he realized how close they were to Simba? All three of them were no more than twenty five or so yards away. And anything to protect Simba was my main goal…

I pounced.

It was exhilarating, nerve wrecking. I always hated pouncing on things. Sure, I was good, but back when it was in the Outlands, it meant so much more. It was practice to pounce on each other, to attempt to catch a sparse dinner of mice, or even an occasional stray animal. I had messed up so much back then. It was constant scowling and smacking from my mother, and all the lionesses would always comment on how weak I was. She said it was good for me, so that I would be emotionless later on. Man was she right.

Kopa was scared straight. I had one of those roars that echoed, even if there was nothing to echo off of. Not even Simba had anything on it. He backed up a little, as I saw a few deep gashes on Pumbaa's left side. This wasn't about to go down.

"Kovu!" Timon yelled, swinging his fists across the year. "Get 'em, boy!"

I wasn't a dog. But it was still my pleasure to protect them, I guess. "What're you doing, Kopa!" I demanded, attempting to puff out my chest a little. Even though he had already seen me rested, size, even if apparent size, was everything in a fight. If there was one thing Zira had taught me correctly, it was this.

"Kovu! Get out of my way you good for nothing low life. I was having a conversation with some friends…"

"That you just tried to kill?" I calmly asked, squinting a little bit more, in an attempt to show the fierceness in my stance. He merely stood there, chest not even pushed out. He was relaxed, content.

"Kovu, please. Before I rip you to shreds. I hate every single thing about you, and now you have to go ruining my fun! Just like your kind."

I stood up from my stance. There was no use in looking intimidating to a lion who didn't care in the least amount. "What do you mean, my kind, Kopa?"

"I know Scar always used to make the Pride Lands a horrid place…"

"Never, ever compare me to that monster," I calmly retorted, shaking a bit. That was the last straw. If I didn't have the common sense to know that this was Simba's son, I would've pounced. I would have ripped his throat out. Maybe that was the evil talking in me. But asked me if I cared at this point.

"You even have a scar, Kovu. Copycat, much?"

I was about to burst. I felt a small, a very, very small hand touch part of my mane. I looked over my shoulder to see Timon on my back. "Let it go, kid. It's not worth fighting over."

I shook my head. "Kopa, come on. I know you're just mad, but don't take it out on people that don't deserve it." Where in the world was Kitambi? I could've used back up by now. He must've been scared or something. Honestly, I wouldn't blame him. But two against one was better odds than this would have been.

"I deserve to be mad, you monster!" He slammed the ground with his paw, obviously getting even more enraged. "You don't deserve any of this! I do! I'm Simba's son, not you! He should exile you for being… For being such a disgusting monster, Kovu." He spat in my direction, landing only inches away from my right paw. I had to keep my cool, I knew that.

"Kopa. I'm sorry. I don't know what to say, honestly. Please, just accept my apology. I'm sure if you prove yourself to Simba he could pick you…"

"But then you wouldn't get your opportunity, Kovu."

I shook my head. I didn't want to even ask the question. "My opportunity for what?"

"To ruin this place. Just like Scar. You're no different. I don't even know why my sister likes you. I see nothing in you. It'll fall to pieces eventually, don't you worry."

I roared. I was losing it. He was winning, by emotional advantage. How could he bring up these things? I wanted to rip every muscle, every ligament, even every bone from his cold hearted body. He really knew what he was doing, trying to enrage me to the point of pouncing. I had to not give in, though. No matter how many remarks he made. It would be worth it in the end…

"C'mon, Kovu. Let's just walk away."

Usually I didn't know Timon for not cracking a joke, even in the hardest of situations. But I agreed with him. I started to walk away slowly, eyeing Kopa as I did.

"What's the matter, running away? Like you do from all your problems, Kovu. Run away again. Just like you did from Nuka."

I walked right up next to him, claws extended. I could see a little of the fright in his eyes. He probably didn't expect it, to say the least. "You take that back, Kopa. I will literally rip you to shreds if you say another comment. I've trained all my life to kill off good for nothing lions like you. Don't think I'll hold back just because you're the king's son. After all, I am prince, aren't I?" It was all I could think of, to hit him back with something. But it barely phased him.

"Go ahead, Kovu. Strike me down. What will Simba think?"

I laughed. "He'll think that you're a horrible son for attacking me. It was self defense, wasn't it?" I asked. "I get to make up the story. I'll win, Kopa. Do _not_ test me."

Kopa just laughed right back at me. "Save it for another time. You'll be needing it. Good day, traitor."

He just got up and started to leave. Like the coward I secretly knew he was. Timon had hopped off my shoulder and now onto the slightly wounded Pumbaa. I chased after him for a few yards, just to catch up.

"Now who's running away, Kopa?" I asked, stopping behind him.

He turned around. He looked right in my eyes, teeth bared. "See you later, Scar. I'm gonna go and be the better person and walk away now." He turned his head back around, padding off to the mass expanse of trees, where, strangely, Kitambi's little pride usually hung out.

…

There was his dad, just standing there, talking to Zazu. That bird was more annoying now than he ever was, and that was even hard to believe.

Kopa padded on. Zazu met his eye contact, and immediately flew off, leaving only Simba in the clearing under Pride Rock. Simba looked at Kopa right in the eyes, with an emotionless look on his face. It was as if he was expecting his son already. Before Kopa finally completed his approach, he thought he heard a sigh escape his father's muzzle.

"Hey, Kopa. You need to talk?"

He just laughed. "Shut up, _dad_. I'm just asking you something."

He looked at his son, disturbed beyond belief. He wished so badly that his son would just realize that Simba loved him, and that he had picked Kovu for king for a reason. He was blowing it so out of proportions.

"What is it, Kopa? You can talk to me any time."

"Oh, cut the cute stuff, Simba." It was so formal the way Kopa said it, you would have never known they were related if you weren't told. "Why can't I be king? Can I at least know that?"

Simba shook his head. "Why do you care so much, son? Please understand, it's a big duty."

"I know. So why are you giving it to the second version of Scar?"

Simba grimaced. At this, Kopa just smirked. He knew he had hit a soft spot with the king. "He's not anything close to Scar, Kopa. Believe me. I was the one who was alive during that time."

"Why is your judgment so blind all of a sudden, father? I'm so obviously the right choice! What do I have to prove to you!"

Simba had to be honest, if anything. "Right now. You're just proving to me the fact that you're impatient, you're too hasty…"

Kopa sighed, to keep his anger composed, to some degree. "I'm patient, dad. But I just want you to understand how bad the decision you're making is."

"There's another thing. Judging Kovu before even knowing him. Kovu is a great lion, with many virtues. You could learn from him, believe me. He overcame what he was dealt with, and you can too. Trust me, Kopa. You don't want to be mad over something so stupid…"

"Alright, Simba. I give. I'm done being coy." Kopa looked down at his claws, slightly erect. "Give me the throne. My birthright. It doesn't matter. It 's my right, Simba."

Simba just sighed. "Why can't you get it? I'm sorry, son."

"Don't be sorry." Kopa started to turn the other way. "You'll be the sorry one, soon, father."

Simba couldn't just let his son walk off again. "Please, Kopa, let's talk it out."

He scoffed at his father. "You had your chance." And with that, he walked away.


	15. Ch15 The Angst

Kopa laughed wildly.

He was the only lion in the Pride Lands that Kopa didn't feel he had to impress, that he didn't feel he was second best to. That lion was Kitambi.

"And Simba still won't budge? That's not right, Kopa." Kitambi paused. "He'll get what he deserves, I'm sure."

Kopa had thought about it for some time, ever since Kitambi had talked to him yesterday. About how if there was a will, there was always a way. And that he was the way. It had chilled him to the bone, to think that he was even considering overtaking his father. He had abandoned being a rogue in the first place, and had trained himself for his whole life to avenge his dad. For that very reason alone. And now he was about to go against him, for the first time since he was born. But Simba wasn't his father anymore. Just an obstacle on the way to what was rightfully his. Kopa kept telling himself again and again that his father had had every chance to let him be prince, but he had given the position to Kovu, the lion who didn't even deserve to disgrace these lands. He needed to be shown the right way.

"I know it isn't right, Kitambi…" Kopa's sentence trailed off, as he was deep in thought.

He actually wasn't as angered as he was the day before. That wasn't saying much, but it still was a good feeling. Inside he knew that it was because he had seen the possibility of an open door, a way to make things right. If Kopa wasn't to be king, the Pride Lands would surely become a desolate wasteland, just like it had before his father had come to rescue it. From the very lion Kovu so desperately wanted to become. Every second turned into another reason why Kopa should betray his father, show him the error in his ways.

"So…" Kitambi started, trailing off.

"What?" Kopa asked.

"Did you need a way?" He smirked at Kopa, almost in one of those evil grins Zira would give when she was formulating a plan of some sort.

It was really the reason why Kopa had found him this morning, he had to admit. Sure, the hesitation of it all was lessening by the minute, but Kopa still had some… emotion. The five years hadn't taken everything from him. But it had still nearly left him cold hearted and ruthless, only caring about the most logical and rational solution to a problem.

He paused for a moment before answering. "I think if you ask, you know the answer, Kitambi."

Kitambi just smirked at him again, not being able to hold his laughter in after a pause of time. "Great. No joke. Kopa, everything is going to become good again. Believe me."

Kopa smiled back awkwardly. He didn't know Kitambi good enough to call him a friend. But then again, he didn't know anyone good enough to call them a friend. This was as close as he would ever get. "So what do we have to do?"

Kitambi stared at him for a moment. He didn't want to tell Kopa his real intentions, those intentions of killing Simba and sparing Kovu's life. The intentions of having the kingdom to himself, and nearly using Kopa as a pawn, and then discarding him. It was almost funny to Kitambi, the way he had both Kovu and Kopa's trust. It was easy as any plan ever before. And Hatari doubted him…

"You're ready for me to explain the plan?"

Kopa nodded.

"Alright, listen here." Kitambi thought of a way to put the words he was about to utter delicately. "It's a ransom of sorts."

Kopa knew exactly what that meant, all too well.

There was this... incident. Kopa was still pretty young, maybe three years old. That stage where you thought you knew everything, and only had a little more time before you grew all the way up. Kopa was part of this pride that he had joined for quite some time by then, the first pride to accept him as one of their own. The king of the pride was just… awful, to say the least. Before that king had taken the throne there had been this fair and amazing king, which reminded him every day of his father. It almost saddened him. But then the day he died meant the ushering of a new era, of his brother, a much darker and sadistic lion.

Kopa was no idiot. He was the only other male of the pride, but of no threat, considering his age. If anything, he was the son that the previous king had never had. All of the lionesses of the Pride, even the past king's mate, were urging Kopa to somehow find a way to overthrow the king. They offered themselves to him for war. Eventually the old king's wife had stolen the current king's wife away and held her for ransom. Kopa had came up to the king and told him that if he didn't step down and make him king, then his mate would be killed. Kopa certainly learned a lesson in cruelty that day.

The king chose his position over his mate. It horrified Kopa, who up until that point, hadn't realized lions could be half as cruel. He had been sheltered for the few years he had been there, living under the old king, acting as his surrogate father. The new king had then raked his claws against Kopa's face harshly, as if to establish dominance. It turned into this huge mess.

Kopa tried not to kill the new king, he really did. But even at a young age he had trained and hunted, even though hunting was never required of males, in virtually any pride. Kopa had fought with the lionesses for fun, and had even picked up pointers from the old king in how to protect himself. And the fact that he killed the new king meant that he was the only male left, no matter how young.

Kopa would rule there for no more than a week before ruining things for himself. He couldn't take all that responsibility at such a young age, and then ran away. Ran forever, leaving the lionesses without a male, to continue their pride with.

"A ransom?" Kopa asked, unsure of himself.

"Yeah. A ransom."

"And…" Kopa was hesistant. "Who? Who are we making ransom?"

This was where Kitambi grew solemn. "Well… alright hear me out. This only for the plan. We won't do any harm to her. But if Simba and Kovu are as cold as to not rescue her…"

Cold as to not rescue her? Kopa only knew how cruel and cold hearted lions could be. "Just who is it, Kitambi? Speak."

"It's your sister, Kiara."

It sent shivers down Kopa's spine. Kopa wasn't a bad lion. He was the most rational lion that could possibly be alive, to his belief. It was rational to hold Kiara up for ransom, if only she were not his sister. It was a hard decision.

"Okay." And sometimes the hard decisions were the ones worth making.

Kitambi nodded. Kopa was right where he wanted him to be. "Great, Kopa. See, you're quite logical with these things…"

"We won't hurt her though?"

"Of course not."

Kopa nodded right back at him. The plan was perfect. Holding up his father's daughter for ransom so that he could be king. "And that's the plan?"

"Well basically yeah. Listen here. I will go tell Kovu and Simba, who you know are always together…"

Kopa grunted at the mere mention of Kovu's name. Kovu was a menace, and luckily, he was going to be stopped, very soon. Sure, Kovu deserved to maybe live. But there was no chance he was going to be king. If Kopa could choose right now, he would be exiled, running for his life out of the Pride Lands like he said he had merely two weeks ago. Kitambi stopped at the grunt.

Kopa smirked. "Sorry, go on."

Kitambi gulped. "I will go tell Kovu and Simba that Kiara is in trouble. That you ask that either Simba step down as king and Kovu be released from his duties as Prince, or Kiara will be thrown off the edge of the basin."

The plan was pretty foolproof. It was a simple plan, but Kopa knew it was good enough. "When do we start?"

…

_Still Scar…_

I propped my head up from my reflection in the watering hole, away from another attempt at seeing myself. Away from another attempt at kidding myself that I wasn't what I truly was inside. A monster. Away from another attempt of disillusioning myself again.

"He really said that?" I asked.

I had been hanging with Kiara this morning. It was so amazing, just staring into her eyes. I had released myself from the doubt that she loved me. Now I just didn't know why she loved me. But hey, I wasn't going to question it. She was, in fact, the best thing that had ever happened to me yet. A close second was having Simba as a kind of surrogate father, and being accepted into the Pride Lands. Hey, it was just a good two weeks ago, right?

Zazu had interrupted it though. I had to admit though, the majordomo was a wise bird. We were friendly to each other. He had given me advice yesterday after chatting it up with Simba, and had even gone as far as to say that he was wrong in originally judging me. Well, he explained that he was right since I was still evil, but that in the end, he was wrong. Convoluted.

Zazu told me that Simba needed to talk to me urgently. And then I met up at the watering hole and here we were. He had just filled me in on what had just happened. And it was baffling.

"Yes, Kovu. I don't feel so good about all this…"

I looked him in the eyes now, away from the watering hole. "Well I get why you feel that way…"

Simba paused for a second and smirked at me. I didn't understand at first what he was doing until he started to walk to the edge of the watering hole, plopping himself down right next to me. I turned my head to look at him again, but his head was bent over to his reflection. He seemed at peace.

"What are you always looking at, Kovu?"

I sighed. There was no use in holding anything back from him anymore, I knew that much. "Scar."

Simba laughed. I didn't understand at all how it was so funny. If I could just dig my nails into Scar's back right now, see the blood drip down his fur and onto the grass… If I could only slap away Scar's reflection from the water. I had never even seen the guy and I was being haunted by him. For all I knew, it wasn't even Scar's reflection. But it wasn't my own. A skinnier, less muscular, evil looking lion. I mean, it had to have been him. It was the way Simba was always describing him, when Simba would tell me stories about what life was like in the jungle with Timon and Pumbaa. He would tell me this wild story again and again about how he killed Scar. Every time it changed just a little bit, but I wasn't complaining. There was no doubt it was true.

"Come on, Kovu. Stop being such a downer." He stared deeply into the pool of water, blinking occasionally.

I stared down with him. I saw me staring back, sure. I wish sometimes it wasn't me staring back, though. It would be so much easier to be someone else sometimes, I had to admit.

There was a long pause before I asked him. "What do you see when you look, Simba?"

Simba laughed. "My father, actually."

I stared to my right a little, to see his reflection. I shook my head. "I don't get it. It looks exactly like you."

He nodded. "You're right, Kovu. Because my father lives in me I see his reflection."

I grimaced. "So… Scar lives in me, huh?"

Simba shook his head profusely. "You see…" He looked towards my reflection this time, and our eye contact met in the water. "I don't think you're getting the point, Kovu."

"How?"

"Kovu, Scar doesn't live inside of you. You're allowing yourself to think Scar lives in you. It's a mindset, Kovu. You can change yourself all you want."

I didn't fully understand. "But you said you saw Mufasa…"

He laughed. "I do. Mufasa made me a promise that he'd always be there for me. You see, Kovu, I don't see his reflection. I see myself. But in an essence, that is my father."

Kovu shook his head. "So you don't actually see him…"

Simba explained. "I was never a great lion, Kovu. I just had circumstances that made me seem like it. The cards were stacked against me, sure. I came back and saved these lands from Scar, sure. But the lesson here is that I was a coward."

"No you weren't, Simba. You're a hero."

He smiled at me, the same way Kiara usually smiled. That big, silly grin. "Then you've been told wrong." He cleared his throat:

"I spent years in that jungle. Sure, Hakuna Matata works only for so long, but after awhile, we all have to man up and take the responsibility we knew we have to take. Having fun is only fun for so long, Kovu, remember that. I learned that the hard way. I could've saved these lands long before they ever got that bad, as to where there wasn't even a herd within sight. The road to recovery would've been faster, the lionesses would never have gone that hungry, and all would've been even finer. But I chose to ignore everything, just because I didn't wanna face the facts. It took Nala to come and find me before I even considered going back."

I was surprised. No one had ever told me that story before… "But you did the right thing in the end." I smiled back at him. "What's Hakuna Matata, Simba?"

"It means no worries, Kovu."

"And who taught you that?"

Simba chuckled. "Who do you think?"

I guessed logically. "Timon and Pumbaa, huh?"

Simba looked back down at his reflection. "But long story short, actually, Rafiki found me too in that jungle. He told me that he found my father. I was so surprised I believed him. He showed me the water, and I stared down at my reflection. I didn't understand him then, but I do now. It was Mufasa."

Simba was so wise, beyond his years. I envied the knowledge and wisdom he had. "So… What if Kopa tries to do something?"

"There's one thing you should know about things like these, Kovu." I nodded, so that he knew to go on. I loved being an attentive listener to Simba. "The people with the best intentions will always find a way to win out against evil intentions. I miss my son, but my son has never returned. He died five years ago."

I was surprised at Simba. No matter how much of a wrong foot they had gotten off to, Kopa was Simba's son. He must have read my expression.

"He threatened me, Kovu. I mean, I know that he feels he deserves to be king. But only you have the spirit to be that. My son is impatient and reckless, I can already tell. But the worst part is that he seems so out there. He can't be the son that left so long ago. He's changed."

I nodded. "But all people change, Simba. Won't giving him the crown just make this all go away?"

"No, Kovu. You deserve it."

I scoffed. "But Simba, it isn't a matter of whether I deserve it or not." At this point, we both raised our heads and made eye contact above the water, as a few gazelle came up to have a drink of water. They knew better than to be that intimidated by two males, especially the king and prince. They didn't have to fear us. It was almost funny seeing the family of gazelle approach the watering hole, the youngest one just staring at me in fear. I was known to occasionally hunt, sure.

"Kovu, it's not. It's a matter of the fact that I don't want another Scar ruling the Pride Lands."

"But… He's your son."

Simba grimaced. "And think. What qualities did Scar have? Impatience, self-fulfillment, manipulation…"

"All the things you say Kopa has?" I asked, very well knowing where he was going with all of this.

Simba got up slowly, and turned around. He had one of those admiring gazes that he always had, staring towards Pride Rock. "Be on your guard, Kovu."

I nodded.

…

I looked into her eyes. I could just get lost in them… I mean, I know it was all I thought about when I was with her. I didn't know myself for not being stubborn, so it was really no different. But… I'd never had a thought manifest itself into me like this before since the thoughts of killing Simba. It was like that stage of a relationship when you're just getting started, and you can't keep your eyes off your other half. And the cool part? She actually stared back. Not like she had to, but I could actually tell that she wanted to. Like she loved me back. And that was the best part of it all.

"I'm never gonna let anything happen to you, Kiara. Don't you worry," I said, smiling wildly at her.

It was early in the morning. Almost two and half weeks into our relationship. It was weird, me counting the days of it all. It just meant so much to me, no one in the entire Pride Lands had any idea of how much so. She made comments about how long it had been, too, but she didn't stalk the relationship like I did, I'm sure.

She flashed me this concerned look, like I was just writing her off. "Kovu… he's dangerous. He could be just as strong, if not stronger than you. I don't want you or my father getting hurt. Or even me. Him and that Kitambi character…"

I scoffed. "Kitambi? He's my best friend here right now. He'd never plot against me," I said. I looked back up to the sky, my paws dangling onto my mane. She looked back up at the orange-lit sky too, sighing deeply.

"Don't just write this off, Kovu. Kitambi's never around. And when I see him and Kopa together once in awhile, the tension between him and Simba escalates the next second. C'mon, look at the facts."

I shook my head. She was just trying to connect dots together. I would have been doing the same thing given her situation. Actually, my situation. I mean, we were all in the same boat. Sure, I wasn't connecting dots like her but if anything, I was in more serious of danger. He wanted the crown from me and Simba, not her and Nala. I was even shaken up a little at the mere thought of it all. The last thing I wanted to do was wage war against Simba's long lost son, no matter how irresponsible, impatient, and outlandish he turned out to be.

It was stupid, sunbathing. I mean, I was _black_. It was like star gazing, except into one star that was millions of times bigger than any of the stars at night that was the only one in the entire sky, and that it hurt to look at after a mere half second. I'd do anything to please Kiara, but this was just stupid. Sure, I understood why she wanted to do it, so that she could maintain her complexion, and a bunch of other nonsense, but I absorbed all the heat. It was nonsense.

"I'm sure it's fine, Kiara. You're just jumping to conclusions. I know Kitambi well. He hates Kopa."

Kiara looked at me, I could see in my peripheral vision. "Then why have they been spending so much time together?"  
>"Are you sure you're not just seeing things?" I asked. I didn't wanna sound rude, but it seemed like Kitambi was always hanging out with me, if I wasn't hanging out with Kiara. Or if I was talking to Simba. I always liked a companion to talk to at my side since the Outlanders and Pridelanders formed a single pride. I never had that before. But it was best spending every waking moment with her, the sunbathing star of my life right now. It was just sad she couldn't hang out all day long. I mean, neither could I, but still. "I'm usually always with him. And if you see him all of twice, it might look to you like they're always together."<p>

She sighed again. She felt strongly about this, I knew. "Kovu, I just wanna be sure. I'm not just seeing things."

I turned away from the sun to meet her gaze. I smirked, letting out a breath of air. "I said it once, and I'll say it again, Kiara. I'll be saying it 'til the day we grow old together and die. I'll always protect you, from anything. No matter what that means. You believe that?"

Kiara rolled her eyes at me playfully. "Of course, Kovu. I know you will. But just be careful in the first place, you know?"

"I know, I know." I tried to take a less serious route of conversation. "You don't think I could take on that skinny thing? Kitambi might be my friend, but c'mon." I stretched my paw a little, flexing my muscles for her to see. "He ain't got nothing on me."

She smiled at me. "You're so stupid, Kovu." She pushed her paw into my face, pushing it away from her, back towards the sun. I smiled back at her, eventually giving a grin right up to the sun. I broke out into a wild laughter, enjoying the moment while it lasted.

I know it was selfish to think this way, but I hated all this drama for the lone fact that I didn't get to spend as much time with the one I loved the most. I know there were always going to be things to do more than just sit around with Kiara, but sometimes, I wanted to pretend like there wasn't. She was an angel, sent from the heavens above. And most importantly, she was my angel.

Kiara got up slowly from her position, groaning a little. I watched as she stretched her legs slowly, yawning as she did. "I'm go get some water. You can stay here, Kovu." She smiled that same wild smile at me that was contagious. It was a like a virus, a virus I couldn't help but catch only a second later.

She nuzzled my mane before leaving, letting me get up to watch her leave. The worst part of it all.

…

"Easier than I thought," Kitambi muttered, grinning. "She left all by herself for the watering hole. I'll go tell Kopa." And with that, Kitambi raced as fast as he could without making much noise towards where Kopa was waiting for him, ready for the signal.

All was going as planned.


	16. Ch16 The Proposition

"Easier than I even expected," Kopa remarked, laughing to himself.

What was he doing? He knew he shouldn't be doing this. Attempting to overthrow his own father, for God's sakes. He was the reason Kopa had even came back in the first place, to take back the kingdom he thought was taken from him in the first place. To avenge his father. Even though the plan was less applicable now, it was still the same circumstance. Kopa respected his father, and he would still do anything for him.

If only Simba had respected him, then things would be different. Kopa knew, he was the ideal picture of a son. He was about to teach his own father a lesson in choices and humility, something only the most faithful sons could administer. He knew that most in the situation he was dealt with would have done nothing, and merely given up and sat there. Let Kovu, Scar's apprentice, have the crown without repercussion. Kopa had to teach his father a lesson, because it was the right choice. The hardest choice, but the right choice. If Kopa wasn't about to teach his father a hard lesson, than the Pride Lands would forever become a place of morbid dread and death. His father would've been proud of him many years ago, if he wasn't still blinded by whatever it was Kovu was blinding him with.

Even if it meant the death of him.

"Yeah, I know, right? Well come on, Kiara said she was only going to go get a sip of water…"

He actually couldn't believe he was using his sister for a pawn, though. Sure, Kiara had also been blinded by Kovu and his uncanny ability to deceive. But she was still so… innocent. Kovu needed every ligament, bone, muscle, tendon, fiber, and vein ripped strategically out of his body, one by one. Every blood vessel, every organ, every square inch of tissue…

He was getting carried away. He couldn't add feeling to the situation. Because if there was one thing he knew, feelings just got in the way. They always did. Even when he tried to not have any, to shut every emotion he could possibly feel down, to detach himself from every lioness he ever came into contact with, it still managed to screw everything up. It was almost humorous, at this point.

There was this one time Kopa remembered all too well. He still had the scars to prove it happened, in fact. He had fell quite in love with this lioness. Sure, it had ended up in betrayal and a forever amount of emotional withdrawal, but it was fun while it lasted, he had to admit. She was beautiful in every way: her shape, the tone of her fur, the way she thought about him in fact. Even her voice chilled him to the bone.

It was after he abandoned his first pride, where he had ended up defeating the old king. He had run for miles upon miles before bumping into the lioness, who instantly took an attraction to him. The pride offered him in, seeing as he was not even an adult. It was cruel to leave him wandering. Eventually he found out the pride was evil, and was bent on destroying all the other prides in the area. If he hadn't been so blind, he could have prevented war between many of the prides. But seeing as how exactly blinded by love he was, he actually went to war with them. He never killed any of the other lions of the other prides, just merely wounded them sufficiently. He had to admit, he got quite the rush from it.

Kopa knew what the difference between right and wrong was, and he knew he was not above murdering to get that point across. And he let emotions get in the way. He ended up being cornered by a few lionesses and being wounded a few times before managing to get away. The entire pride he was taken into turned out to be massacred.

He had grieved for days, seeing as the stay in that pride was so short lived. From then on he knew to keep his eyes up at the stars, to map out how far he had gone. To figure out how the stars even moved, to track exactly how long he had been gone. Without a pride, it was substantially harder to keep time. He could have saved countless prides, if emotions hadn't gotten in the way.

He wasn't going to let it get in the way this time. Simba was going to get exactly what he deserved, whether it be from his own son or not.

"Let's go, then." Kopa led the way to the watering hole.

No turning back now.

…

She walked step by step, slowly to the watering hole, occasionally glancing back at her mate, Kovu.

Even though she hadn't been spending as much time with him as a few weeks previous, he was still all she thought about. No matter how boring the activity, she always relished spending an afternoon with him. Which surprised even her, considering how fun loving and adventurous she usually was. For once in her life, she felt content with it all.

She smiled to herself widely, turning her head back around for the third time. Her mate was still sitting there, waiting patiently for her to return. If he was anything, he was loyal. She knew he was trying desperately to fit in. And in her opinion, Kovu already did fit in. There were always these late night conversations about how he wasn't sure about being king, and how he still thought there were bits and pieces of Scar left in him. These thoughts were at least slowly fading, but it hurt her to think about all that sometimes. He was especially trying to not have this whole Kopa thing turn into something horrid and inescapable.

The watering hole was in sight, as Kovu was no longer in sight. She was usually pretty thirsty in the morning, which meant a morning trip with Vitani or her mother. She desperately wanted to get to know Kovu's sister lately, seeing as she was always alone. Kiara saw her hanging out with all the lionesses a lot of the time, but by the time she stopped looking, there were looks of disgust on her face. There was no doubt she didn't fit in, at all. And then she would leave the group for the day, preferring to sunbathe by herself.

And lately, she seemed… almost guilty about something. There was something Kiara couldn't put her paw on. Maybe she was still caught up in all that Outlander versus Pridelanders stuff. It wasn't her fault that all happened. And if it was anyone's fault, it was Zira's, and although it's hard to admit, her mate's. Everyone forgave Kovu though. Maybe Vitani just needed to be forgiven.

She approached the watering hole slowly, feeling a presence. It was really funny almost about how bad she was about these predatory things. She could even tell Kovu was a little ticked off at how non-teachable she was. So she just proceeded to dip her head into the water and drink.

It felt amazing on her muzzle. It really was the simple things like this that made life special.

She was paralyzed for a moment. She thought she heard whispering, movement behind some grass directly across the watering hole in front of her. She got this eerie feeling that she was being watched… She ignored it, reminding herself again how bad she was at sensing these things. If anything ever happened, Kovu would be her night in shining armor. Right? He did promise…

Then a loud and clear voice. No way she was just hearing this: "Yeah, I didn't think she would be this stupid to come here alone, either, Kopa."

Kopa? Alright, time to be scared beyond belief…

All of a sudden, as Kiara slowly reached her head out of the water to look straight ahead, two lions popped out of the bush in front of her. One was her fur color with a bright red mane and blue eyes. He had scars all over him and muscles to accompany each and every last one of them. He also had a look of pure revenge in his eyes. The other was a kind of skinny and cautious looking lion, the same color scheme as Kovu basically. But nothing like him. Kopa and Kitambi… She knew she was onto something earlier. The two were no good together. But just what were they going to do with her? She was starting to panic heavily in her mind, about whether or not she would see Kovu again…

"What… Wh-What are you doing, Kopa?"

Kopa burst out laughing, rolling his eyes at Kiara. "Only doing what's right. Don't worry, Kiara. It won't hurt you one bit." He proceeded forward a little bit, Kitambi rounding the other side of the watering hole, slower than Kopa, as if ready for a show. "Physically, that is."

Kiara started to back away slowly. She knew she couldn't escape either of them, probably. Kovu could outrun her two fold, which was bad no matter how fast the other person was. Kiara was slow, she knew that. There was no escaping this one…

"Well, she does deserve to know, right, Kopa?" Kitambi asked kind of sarcastically, halfway to Kiara. Kiara could see Kopa only a few yards away now, making her heart skip a few beats, to say the least.

"I do suppose you're right, Kitambi." Kopa smirked at his little sister, the same sister whom he had only known for a few days now.

"Come on now, Kopa," Kiara started, trembling a little. "Just let me go. Why are you doing all of this?"

He spat on the ground and stopped only a yard away from his little sister. "Simba needs to be taught a lesson. Don't worry, you're just gonna be a pawn in this all. No harm, no foul."

She looked around frantically, expecting Kovu to be there or something, with a bunch of lionesses. Or even Kovu alone could probably take Kopa and Kitambi. She had that much faith in him. "What lesson, Kopa?" She yelled.

He smirked at her wildly, then looked over to Kitambi. "You wanna explain this one? I'm tired to saying it all…"

"Gladly," he replied, stopping now a yard away from Kiara to her right, Kopa to her left. She was officially trapped. Not like she could've outrun either of them, anyways. "Kovu doesn't deserve to be king, and it's Kopa's birthright. We don't want another Scar in power, we really don't. Probably because we're the only two that genuinely care about these Pride Lands, you see…"

"Kovu is the greatest thing in all these Pride Lands!" Kiara screamed.

"Kovu is the worst thing in all these Pride Lands!" Kopa replied, snarling a little. He couldn't lose his composure though. He reserved himself a little, letting Kitambi continue:

"No, Kovu is the heir to Scar. Haven't you learned that by now? Or are you just trying to ignore that part?" Kitambi laughed. "We understand, Kiara. You don't deserve to die, Kovu's just been blinding you for weeks. I would think the same things as you, too…"

"He said you were his best friend, Kitambi! Now you're just gonna backstab him like this…"

He laughed again, more maniacally than the last. "Friends? With that monster? I think not, Kiara…"

Kopa spoke up: "So are we gonna do this the hard way?"

Kiara knew there was no use in trying to run, or trying to resist either of them. She would lose in any light of the situation. "Just tell me what you're going to do, Kopa." She sighed deeply, feeling defeated. The whole day had gone from an amazing day with her beautiful and handsome mate to a day filled with dread and morbid horror.

"Nothing much, really." He breathed in slowly, then exhaled. "Either Simba comes to die for you, or we'll kill you. But c'mon, Kiara… You know that he's good enough a father to come die for you."

Kiara was stunned, paralyzed from the fibers in her paws to the cells in her head. "No." She wanted to scream out for Kovu, but she knew he was too far away… "No! Come on, Kopa, this is maddening…"

"So is what you guys have been doing! I will go down in history as the one lion that stood up for what was right, for what he believed in. You'll go down in history as the mate of a monster. Simba will go down in history as the king who took everything his son had ever known from him, will go down as the lion that had to be killed. _Had_ to be killed. I'm doing the right thing, Kiara. You'll see it soon enough." He proceeded forward, smiling.

…

She'd been gone for way longer than I expected.

I wasn't the type to get that worried. Stress was one of those emotions you didn't need, one of those emotions that just got in the way of a perfect life. But it was my mate, the best thing that had ever happened to me. I wanted to spend eternity and grow old with her. I smiled just thinking about any of those thoughts. About eventually having cubs, being king and queen together, and dying next to each other in the end. It was corny, I know. But these were thoughts I'd never had before.

Still, I would've seen at least an outline of her coming back from the watering hole by now. She would've had to have been drinking for about ten minutes now…

I got up slowly, stretching all the muscles in my body, one by one. She told me to wait for her. Maybe she had a surprise. But when Kopa was around… He wouldn't hurt his own sister, sure. But there was never being too careful with the love of my life. I'd literally throw myself off of Pride Rock if anything would ever happen to her… Maybe then Kopa would get his wish.

I walked to the watering hole at kind of a faster rate, almost a jog for me. I laughed, because it might as well have been Kiara's sprinting speed. She was the fairest, most beautiful, most intelligent and fun-to-be-around lioness I had ever met. And yet, she was the most instinctually impaired lioness I've ever met.

It always made me laugh, though, the way she was trying to constantly impress me by hunting a kill. She admitted to me she had never successfully caught a gazelle, or a wildebeest, or any animal for that matter. Well, she meant that if a rabbit didn't count. Child's play hunting. I, on the other hand, caught basically all her food. I knew I didn't have to hunt for anybody, but I always enjoyed catching a prey and dragging it back to behind Pride Rock, where Kiara would usually be waiting for me. It was then followed by a romantic supper, when all the other lions were close to being finished eating. She was amazing company, by any measure.

I really hope she was just having a long drink of water. She never took this long just to take a sip of water. Hey, if everything was alright, I'd just join her. And probably annoy her a little bit. I laughed.

Something wasn't right.

I heard dialogue a few yards ahead. I could see Kiara's behind, seeing as I recognized every part of her, not just her beautiful face. But there were two other lions with her… I mean, come on. I knew immediately they were Kopa and Kitambi. It was sad that Kiara was right. They were probably in all of this together. Well, I was jumping to conclusions, right? They were probably just all talking, working something out. Kopa wasn't that dangerous, I thought that the whole time deep down inside. I tried to listen to the dialogue, in case it was more than I though.

"…for what he believed in. You'll go down in history as the mate of a monster. Simba will go down in history as the king who took everything his son had ever known from him, will go down as the lion that had to be killed. _Had_ to be killed. I'm doing the right thing, Kiara. You'll see it soon enough."

Had to be killed?

No, I was underestimating it all after all. Kopa and Kitambi were in all of this together, plotting to kill Simba, of all lions. I woulda thought I would've been the first target. There was no use just thinking about it though…

I heard Kiara scream.

I pounced immediately, roaring with every ounce of ferocity I had left in my body. It was a lot, to say the least. I could see the look on Kitambi's startled muzzle, yet… Kopa remained fine. With a claw up to Kiara's throat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Kovu." He laughed at me, then stopped for a huge grin. I was gonna wipe that grin off of his face and feed it to Zazu if I had anything to do with it…

"Don't make me kill you, Kopa. I don't wanna have to…"

Kiara sighed. I wanted desperately to rescue her. I had never felt more helpless in my life… "Don't, Kovu. He'll kill me before you ever got here."

She was right. It was a perfect ransom situation. And I had let her go to the watering hole by herself, without the mate she needed to protect her. I had failed myself, and most of all, her, Simba, and Nala. Jumping off of Pride Rock was looking better and better with every glance at her horrified look I took.

"Yes, don't, Kovu. I'll kill her before you ever got here." He looked over at Kitambi. Kitambi nodded slowly, opening his mouth to speak. I cut him off.

"Kitambi! You were my best friend…" Was I still jumping to conclusions? Connecting too many dots? Kitambi couldn't be in on all of this too. We had been best friend the past week. I had treated him like a brother…

"You're friend? I choose my friends wisely, Kovu. You're no friend. Just a two faced monster. And I'm going to help save the Pride Lands from the likes of you. Get the crown back for the people who actually deserve it."

I shook my head down to the ground, defeated. He was part of all of this… And he was right. I was a monster. A two faced monster. I had let all of this happen, in the time span of fifteen minutes. I was the worst thing that had ever been birthed.

"Kitambi, please…"

He smiled. "I couldn't do anything if I even wanted to. Kopa's doing the right thing, don't you worry Kovu."

"You're not going to be harmed through this all, Kovu, don't you worry." Kopa shifted his weight a little, keeping his claw directly under Kiara's throat. "Just probably exiled when I become king…"

"Just let her go. I'll pretend like none of this ever happened, seriously."

Kopa laughed again, obviously amused at my plea. "I'm doing all of this so everyone will know I did it, Kovu. Now here, listen."

Kitambi took the cue to explain it all. "You're gonna march yourself all the way back to Pride Rock and tell Simba something. You're gonna tell him that either he comes to die and give up the throne, or Kiara will die." I swallowed hard, feeling the tears well up in my eyes. "And if he doesn't come by sunset, we'll have to kill Kiara anyways…"

Kiara sighed. I wanted to take away all of the doubt and worry from her face. Simba didn't deserve to die…

"What if you kill me instead?"

Kitambi gasped. "That'd just be crazy!" he exclaimed sarcastically. "No, we need Simba. You're worthless to us, Kovu."

I roared at the top of my voice, enraged by it all. I had lost already, I should've been there to protect Kiara. "I'm sorry, Kiara," I whispered, hoping she faintly heard me.

"Well?" Kitambi started. "Why haven't you left?"

"Can I just… spend one last moment with her before I leave?" I pointed to Kiara, attempting to smile at her, to give her the false impression that everything was going to be okay. I should've been breaking down, if I had already processed everything that was happening. It was such a shocker I couldn't even begin to think straight.

"No, Kovu." Kopa frowned. "Now, hurry. Or the last moment you'll have spent with her will be this sorrowful one."

I turned around, not before voicing my opinion. "You'll get what you deserve in the end, Kopa. We all will." I ran.

…

Simba grimaced. "How could you even think of that, Nala?"

Nala shook her head. "He's already been on his own most of his life. He isn't going to assimilate with any of us, in the course of a few days he's already grown to hate us. We need to let him go, Simba. I know you know that's the right thing to do." She sighed, then added, "Before someone gets hurt. Before your heir and daughter get hurt."

Simba couldn't believe his ears. Exile his own son? He had wanted his son to come back for four and a half years. He had wanted his son to be the ruler of the Pride Lands, before he found out just how outlandish and impatient he was. Kovu was the right choice. But why couldn't ther just be peace for once in his life? It seemed like there was always something more to be said and done, at every corner and every turn of his life.

"I know you're right, Nala." Simba closed his eyes, trying to return to a world when it was all right. When he was spending days next to his father, big and strong, the best leader the Pride Lands had probably ever known. Maybe the best that there will ever be. "But why can't everything just end up alright?"

Nala shook her head. "I ask myself the same question every night since Kopa came back. I asked myself the same question every day you didn't come back for us when Scar was ruler…"

Simba shot her a hurt look. "We need not talk about that…"

Nala just rolled her eyes at Simba. "It's just a part of life, for there to be struggles and strife. Ask me if I like it, and I'll give you the same answer. I don't. But you just gotta do the right thing, Simba…"

Simba knew what he had to do. It was horrible even considering exiling his son, but it was the right thing to do at this point. Maybe have him return in a few months when he had gotten his act together. It didn't have to be forever. He had always wanted that son.

But he had already gotten it. Maybe it was a sign that Mufasa had given him Kovu. Kopa wasn't his real son. His real son had died many years ago. This was his empty shell, a narcissistic, empty minded, selfish, and impatient empty shell.

"I know what I have to do, Nala, honestly." Simba felt tears well up in his eyes a bit. "I just don't want to have to be the one to do it."

She scoffed. "Well sometimes you have to take the responsibility, Simba. I know you'll do what's right." She left to go back into the den. Probably to talk with some of her friends about what she was considering doing.

Simba was left to just stare out to his Pride Lands. It was times like this when he was mad. Mad that Mufasa wasn't there when he needed him, just like he had always promised Simba. Where was he now? He wasn't even that reflection in the sky anymore, that voice inside of his head, or that twinkling star in the night sky. He was dead silent. And it scared Simba.

Had his own father given up on him? Maybe it was just a great place up there. Simba knew that he would get caught up in heaven for awhile. It should've been a nice place, a place filled with family members he had lost. Like his mother and his father. It should've been a place filled with cascading waterfalls, plentiful herds of gazelle, antelope, and gazelle, all plump and unable to run. It should've been a place of no decision and never ending happiness. Unlike what he was living at the moment.

He looked further down, examining the lands he called home. He saw a black lion running towards Pride Rock.

Well, what could Kovu want?


	17. Ch17 The Descent

If there was one word I could use to describe it all…

Well, there's not.

This was the worst situation I had ever been put in, in my entire life. I mean, coming from the lion that literally trained from sunrise to sunset for the first four years of his life, this was a statement to be reckoned with. And yet, to me, it was an understatement. The only female I had ever loved was in the hands of my brother-in-law and used-to-be best friend. And if I didn't tell Simba to go die for her, Kiara would forever be gone from his life.

I couldn't just expect Simba to go and do that though… I mean, it was her daughter. But he couldn't just leave me like that! I didn't know anything about how to rule a kingdom. I knew one thing for sure. As soon as everything went down, Kopa was the first one to be killed. It would be horrid if I just gave up the crown to Kopa. It wouldn't have been what Simba wanted. I would fight to the death, even if it meant losing. Because at least then I tried.

He was the most… vile, horrible… What was I saying? I couldn't even begin to describe my feelings for Kopa. Or Kitambi. What had happened? I was always the reason for it all, too. I was the reason Kiara might die, because I let her foolishly alone. I was the reason Kopa hated Simba, because Simba felt so strongly about letting me be prince. I was the reason Kitambi helped out Kopa. He said it himself I was a monster. If I could just stop being me… I would literally kill to be anyone else right now. Yeah, I'd probably kill someone out of a sick twisted fantasy anyways. Scar was always there to remind me of something…

There my thoughts raced again, like two cheetahs in a hunt. I just needed to tell Simba, right? He'd know exactly what to do. He always did. But… if the king was silent, that surely meant the end of it. We had lost. Or, more like I lost for everyone else. Everyone would hate me forever. But I shouldn't even be thinking about that, considering I shouldn't even have gained their trust in the first place. God Kopa was gonna get it… No. Simba would know a way out of this. He just had to.

My God… Kiara had even warned against this. She said herself that there wasn't something right between Kopa and Kitambi. And I had been foolish enough to just write it off as superstitions. I had failed her, the exact way that I said I wouldn't fail her.

Simba was in sight. On Pride Rock, just thinking, no doubt. I was going to be the one to break this unbearable news to him. I was always the bearer of horrible news, wasn't I? I just had to focus on getting the situation right. I just had to keep my head up and hope there was an opportunity. Something Kopa or Kitambi had missed. A loophole in the plan.

I approached the steps of Pride Rock. They had more of an eerie, suspenseful feeling to them. Especially now. I laid a cold, black paw on them, and I shuddered out of fear. I had to stay strong for Kiara…

I climbed the steps and waited until Simba acknowledged me. I was shaking from all the fear and suspense. Never in my life had I felt so scared, or helpless.

He sighed and turned towards me, his red mane fluttering in the wind. "Bad news, Kovu?"

I wanted desperately just to avoid the conversation. "How… H-How did y-you know?"

He chuckled. "The look on your face. The way you're shaking right now, and your pupils are all dilated like you've seen a ghost." He got solemn all of a sudden, looking down to the floor. "What happened?"

I felt a few tears start to slide down the fur on my face. "It's just… bad." That was all I could say before looking down also, trying to hide the tears. If I wasn't going to be strong, I don't know how in the world Kiara would be.

"What's bad, Kovu?" He looked back up, and I could sense him staring at me. Or, my mane, seeing as I was hiding my face from him. "You can tell me anything, Kovu." He paused. "It's… It's about Kopa, isn't it?"

I nodded. It was all I could do. If I talked, all the tears would surely come out.

He proceeded nearer, until he was only a foot away. He leaned his head down and his face up to get a better look at me. That's when he must've realized something. "Where is Kiara?"

I burst out through the tears: "Kopa has her. It's a ransom."

"Ransom?" He exclaimed. "Kovu, tell me everything you know."

Yes, I just needed to tell him everything I knew. Because Simba would always, always know what to do in these tough situations. And he would live on for a long, long time. To teach me how to be the same. Kopa had to be underestimating his father.

I breathed in a few times, every exhale feeling like an eternity. Composure was eventually reached. Now it was time for the hardest explanation of my life.

"Simba…" I looked up at his face finally. I could see the concern and hurt on his face. I couldn't believe he didn't already rush after Kopa or try and find him, or do something rational. It was utterly amazing how he could keep his calm, even in a situation like this. I envied that more than he would ever know.

I started again. "Simba… He said that if you didn't come to die by sunset, the Kiara was going to die. And Kitambi's in on this, too."

Simba gasped.

And there was this awkward silence. I squinted to see his facial expressions more. He looked shocked, like there was no way to take any of this in. I would be devastated and afraid if I were him. I mean, sure, I'd go die for my daughter. Which I wouldn't doubt he was going to do. But… Simba was my mentor, my best friend. I had been wrong to think otherwise, that Kitambi meant anything to me. Simba was, after all, like a father to me. And sure, I doubted myself. But I know for a fact I was a better son that Kopa ever was.

The look on his face after a few seconds went from that of shock to depression. Which didn't last long, before the anger. He moved his lips like he was going to break the silence, but then must have decided against it or something. The look of anger switched to this weird look of solemn peace, like everything clicked, and he knew exactly what to do. I knew first hand from him never to give up, that out of the ashes can grow a greater generation. To be patient, to make the right decisions…

"So today will be my last day, then," he sort of mumbled to himself. "You've been a better son to me than Kopa, that's for sure, Kovu."

I raised my paw to comfort him, resting it on his back. It was kind of a reach for me, considering I was still a little shorter than him. The last stage of growing hadn't quite hit me yet. Sure, it had hit Kopa, but I still had the advantage of being smaller. Which, I learned from my own mother, was often more of an advantage than a disadvantage. "Simba… There has to be something we can do. Don't just give up after a few seconds of thinking…"

Simba just sat there, looking defeated. I had never known the king to not even respond. He should've been giving me advice at this point…

"No, Kovu," Simba responded. "I guess the circle of life decided to take me early. That's all this is."

I took my paw off his mane and stamped it into the ground. He wasn't just going to give up! If anything, he should've at least tried to do something. Sure, Kiara was at stake… but Simba always knew what to say. What was the difference this time?

"You can't just give up because I tell you all of this!" I was spitting while I was talking I was so angry. "Where's the wisdom now? We have to think of a plan!"

"Then think of one, Kovu." He sighed heavily. "There's nothing we can do. I just can't have Kiara get hurt."

I thought long and hard. It made this eerie awkward silence, as I desperately watched Simba sulk for a moment. He knew I was at least trying to think. I mean, we could go over and just kill them both… But Kiara would get killed. It was a ransom, after all. I was stupid… this was the type of thing I went to Simba for. Umm… We could've negotiated the crown. And then killed Kopa later! He'd be stupid to take that offer. Simba wouldn't be out of the way.

"We could just say we're going to leave the Pride Lands. Give them over to him. That way no one will die."

"He's not going to take that, Kovu," Simba started, shaking his head. "I mean, he wants me gone, not just out of here. And he knows better, that we would just sneak back in. He's not dumb."

I hung my head low, too, at that point. "Unlike me…"

I thought. It was all I could do at the moment. There had to be some way to negotiate with Kopa… I mean, he seemed perfectly sane just a few nights previous. What had happened? More like, why had I been so stupid to not trust Kiara with the whole Kitambi and Kopa thing? Then I let her get a drink of water all on her own. If only I could have done things differently. If only Kopa didn't hate me. I was always the reason people were dying around me. Whether it was my mother, or my brother. It was always the same, just a different situation.

I really didn't understand why they didn't let me just die. I was the problem in the first place…

"Where are you now, Mufasa…" Simba muttered, walking towards the cave. He said, "I'm going to go tell the rest of the pride. Just stay tight."

…

Kitambi felt accomplished.

Imagine being bred to think the same morals and mission for your whole life, and then finally accomplish that mission. A mission that none of your pride thought you could accomplish. It was all smiles for him right now.

Even Hatari would be proud. She wouldn't be happy Kiara would be left alive, but whatever. You could never please her now matter how hard you tried. And she took pride in what she did, being sarcastic and rude towards Kitambi.

It was all worth it in the end, he decided. He would, by the end of the day, have every lion in the Pride Lands right where he wanted them. And there was nothing any of them could do. He would have Kopa as a best friend. And Kopa and Kovu were definitely a match, seeing as how strong they were. Convincing Kovu to join the cause was gonna take a long time, he knew. But it would all be worth it in the end. Then he would basically own the greatest pride there ever was. He would be king, not just of five other lionesses, but of thirty or so. An amazing feat by any means.

It was almost sad how Kopa thought he would have it all. If he was this easy to manipulate, then it would be a piece of cake convincing him to give up the throne to Kitambi. It was just baffling to him that he came into the Pride Lands only a week prior, and yet will have taken it over in less than a day from now. A one week takeover? Personal record.

It was going to be boring for the rest of the day, he knew. And slightly awkward, yet more triumphant than that. Kopa was just standing there, staring down his sister, whom he threatened to kill less than an hour ago. It was humorous by any standards, seeing the annoyed look on Kiara's face as Kopa stared at her. If anything, Kiara wanted to kill him and rip every part of his body to shreds. But guess what? Kopa was one of the strongest lion Kitambi had seen, besides Kovu. All the better for his kingdom.

They had moved to a patch of trees a few hundred yards away from where they had caught Kiara at the watering hole. It was still in sight, which was key. It hadn't been long since Kovu had left, and judging from Kiara's facial expressions throughout, she was just starting to let the fact that her father was going to die with her sink in. It must've been pure shock. Kitambi almost felt sorry for Kiara, if he didn't have such a grand scheme going.

Kiara's facial expressions had gone from desperate to sorrowful, and now to moody. Kitambi didn't really get the last one, but if it helped her, so be it, he wasn't going to say anything. The weather was a little more humid than the previous days, and the sun bore down on the dried out grass like an army of ants, radiating off of every square inch of it. It was hard being the same color as Kovu sometimes, seeing as both of them absorbed the light. Kiara and Kopa probably weren't even sweating.

"What's with the face, sis?" Kopa sarcastically asked, putting his paw up to grab the bottom of her chin. He pretended to be amused as he examined her face slowly, looking as if something wasn't there before. Kiara waited for him to let go before talking, cracking her jaw to the left, and then to the right before she began.

"I hope you know what's going to happen after you kill my father, Kopa."

"Enlighten me."

Kitambi could see Kiara's lame attempt at scaring Kopa. "After you kill Simba, _your_ father, you'll be killed. Kovu can take on anyone he wants."

Kopa laughed it off for a moment. "Kovu's a year younger than me, and a lot less experienced…"

"I wouldn't underestimate him, Kopa. And then, after he rips you to shreds, he'll be king. How do you feel about that?"

Kitambi had to agree, you couldn't underestimate Kovu. He was surely not done fully growing, but was still a huge lion by any means. Kopa was no exception to this though, seeing as he was just done growing. Kopa looked like he was trying not to react to Kiara's rude comments, gritting his teeth inside his muzzle.

"Yeah, well you forget he's outnumbered," Kitambi added. "There's only one of him, and two of us. And after Simba dies, he's for sure the only one fighting."

Kiara spat in his direction. "I could kill you if I wanted. You skinny good-for-nothing lion. You look like you haven't eaten in weeks."

Kitambi just laughed. "You look like you've plenty eaten in the last few weeks." Sure, she was a beautiful lioness. Kovu was pretty lucky to have her. But it was almost comical to see her all angry like this.

She merely smirked, giving Kitambi this evil stare out of her peripherals. "We'll see how much you'll be taking when your heads on one end of the Pride Lands, and your body's on the other."

Kopa gasped, of course in a sarcastic manner. "Feisty! I see four years in the Pride Lands has really done some good to you, little sis!"

Kiara seemed very calm and collected. Kitambi envied that. Kitambi had seen lots of depression and anger in his short, almost five year life. But never action on this level or magnitude. He was actually sadistically enjoying all of this.

"I see five years not in the Pride Lands has made you a shadow of your former self."

"You know…" Kopa started, examining his now erect claws. "You know, you should be thanking me. I'm rescuing this place from a future Scar. You should be happy I'm letting him live. I could easily have him killed too." He extended his paw forward, patting Kiara on the head. "But I care about my siblings, don't I? I wouldn't take pretty little Kovu from you…" He made an attempt at this nice and sincere face. Kitambi burst out laughing at the lame attempt.

"You disgust me."

Kopa lifted his paw once more, once again with erect claws. "I could give you another reason to be disgusted if you want. It's your choice, really."

Kiara sighed. No use in fighting. "Why you, Kitambi?"

Kitambi raised an eyebrow, amused at the question. "Why me, what, princess?"

"Why are you in on this? You don't even have to be. Simba accepted you with open arms…"

"Oh, come on, Kiara." He smirked. "It's all protocol. I would've had to let some rogue lions into my pride too if the same circumstances happened. He has no compassion, no love. He let the monster of a mate you have be prince. Does that make any sense, to give that to the heir of Scar, and not the heir of the actual king?"

Kitambi really was a walking contradiction, whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not. He was the grandson of Scar, Taka, and yet he was trash talking him at every turn. Well, he wasn't actually related.

Kitambi had soon realized by himself that the time span just didn't fit. To this day, Scar had found his old pride only a little more than five years ago, maybe five and a half. Kitambi was turning five soon. Did that make any sense that he was the grandson of Taka? Taka had given his gratitude to Kitambi's father, Gehenna, and had taken him in for the morals and wisdom he possessed. Kitambi would always be Scar's hypothetical grandson, not his real one. Yet, his everlasting message stuck with him. Simba was a wretched lion, and had to be massacred. He wanted to finally explain it to someone, how Taka, his surrogate grandfather was a great man. But trash talking him was working a little better, seeing as it made his motives appear straightforward.

Kopa would have Kitambi killed if he knew his intentions lied in Scar. Or if he was even hypothetically attached to Scar in person somehow. So no one actually needed to know, right? This way, he was fulfilling Taka and Kopa's rightful destinies.

Kiara scoffed in Kitambi's direction. "You're just the poster child of doing what's right, Kitambi."

He smiled widely. "You have no idea, Kiara."

…

It was growing slightly near sunset.

Slightly near the death of a king.

I was standing there solemnly with Simba, the one who I considered my father. He was no doubt mentally preparing for his imminent death. I wanted to save him somehow. It was the worst feeling in the world, to feel so helpless.

Maybe if something I could've done prevented this… Maybe if I had done something seconds earlier, everything would be alright. It was my fault Simba was going to die, and I couldn't do anything about it? Kopa was dead as soon as Simba hit the floor. There was no more ransom, there was no more hiding. It would be him against Kopa, maybe even Kitambi.

Kitambi's throat would be torn in less than two seconds, I knew that much. That covered that matter… One against one then? Why was I being put into this situation. All I wanted was to have a great life with Kiara. I've learned all my lessons. I'm not evil anymore. If anything, that devil-spawned Simba look alike was evil. I had never hated anyone more in my life. Not even Simba, when I was being blinded by lies for my whole childhood.

Simba could sense my internal conflict. He was always there to help me out, and the one time I could've helped him out, I wasn't even there for him. I was there just to watch him die. I should've been exiled again, in my opinion. "Be at rest, Kovu. You did everything you could."

"No I didn't, Simba. We have to at least negotiate with him…"

Simba shook his head. "I want Kiara to be alright, Kovu. I…" He choked up a little bit. I didn't blame him.

I was building up momentum for a good cry or two myself. This just wasn't fair, by any means. "You what, Simba?"

"I owe it to her. I was never there for her when she was growing up. I owe it to her to sacrifice myself to her. She deserves to live."

I sighed. "But Simba…" The tears were starting to catch up with me. I desperately tried to hold them back. If anything, Simba's last few moments weren't going to be filled with crying. If anything, he would be left with respect and adoration, not regret and sorrow. "She does deserve to live. But that doesn't mean you deserve to die…"

He shushed me. He was so collected for what was about to happen to him. It made the respect for him that I already had grow ten fold. How would I ever live up to these expectations? I mean, I was preparing for the fight of my life, too. Kopa was the strongest lion I had ever seen, and had something I didn't have. A fully grown body. Although I was finally entering out of growing, I knew for a fact I still had some left.

"You're going to be a great king, Kovu. I want you to know that."

I shook my head. "Simba, there's so much left I haven't been taught…"

He smiled at me. I couldn't help but smile back at the king as I felt my heart skip a beat. I wasn't ready to fight again. It hadn't even been three weeks since the Outlanders and Pridelanders being reunited, but it was enough time for him to hate the sport.

"Mufasa left me early. And I think I turned out alright." He smiled, as the wind in front of him blew his mane back. He was probably enjoying the feeling for the last time. "And in a way, this is great. I'm finally going to be with him. A star. So I'll always be there for you, Kovu, to guide you the same way my father has all this time. You just have to wait for guidance."

It moved me that he could take the verdict of death so lightly. He was probably just being strong, for me. I looked ahead, seeing the sun inches from the horizon. The sunset would surely be within half an hour. It was the scariest thing, to have such a close countdown. "Thank you, Simba." I laughed. "We've come far from when we hated each other…"

He chuckled, masking the tears that were probably seconds away from dripping down and hitting the dried up grass of the Pride Lands. "We have."

I laughed with him.

"Remember everything I've told you, Kovu. You can't give into all this."

I nodded profusely. "I'll never give in. Kopa will be killed by the time darkness reaches these plains, I swear that much to you."

There was this hurt look on his face. I didn't blame him. I mean, Kopa was his son after all, through the thick and thin. Even if this thin was thinner than Timon's body in comparison to an elephant. He spoke up:

"I just wish he didn't have to suffer. I hope he had a good life…" He trailed off a little, incoherent to me. Then his composure resurfaced. "…I could've been there for him through it all. But I wasn't. Maybe I deserve this? I don't know."

I didn't know what to say. There was nothing to say, after all. "You'll always be remembered as the great king you were. Me and Kiara will rule these lands better than anyone before it. Especially with you to guide me." I smiled, nudging my elbow into the side of his stomach. I could at least grin and bear the pain I was feeling.

"I hope. Kopa is strong, Kovu."

"But I…"

"But you have a passion in your heart he will never have. Keep that in mind." He smiled vaguely, looking away from the wind towards me. I could see his eyes, bloodshot from crying. The wind was probably wiping his every last tear away, so that I wouldn't see them. "Those that mean to do evil things will never win. In the end."

I nodded.

He began to get up from sitting, walking forward after stretching out his hind legs. I didn't want this all to end this quickly. I could've done so much more for the king, I knew it. The tears finally let loose from my eyes, one by one. He turned around and I looked away, ashamed for losing my composure.

"You coming?"


	18. Ch18 Kitambi and Kopa

It was the longest walk I had ever had the displeasure to take.

It was grueling, hearing the steps my paws took, one by one, one by one. Knowing very well that after the walk was taken, I would no longer have the father figure I relied on for these past few weeks. Knowing that I was about to take down Simba's son, and that it was going to be the hardest fight of my life. Knowing that everything was about to flipped up on its head, and that in the end of it all, I would have to step up to plate as king. And the only thing I wanted was for the walk to never have started, and for no one to have to die. This whole circle of life stuff… If all these great kings lived by its rules and teachings, then why was it so cruel?

We barely talked. I desperately wanted to say something, to comfort Simba. No amount of mindless conversation was going to comfort him, but it was at least a thought. I didn't want his last moments to be this awkward silence, cold and barren as the Outlands beyond these borders. But it was as if there was this barrier, imaginary in substance, but eerily real in the same way. It was killing me. It should've been me that was sent to die, not Simba. Why didn't Kopa want me? It didn't make any sense, at all. Kitambi shouldn't have been stopping him. After all, I was a 'monster', wasn't I?

I think the lowest point of my life was when I saw the beginning of the water hole beyond the horizon. It was beautiful, as the pre-sunset colors shone down upon its surface. It was a complete contradiction against the situation, but it was almost relief in a sense. It was a horrible sight to see that Kitambi, Kopa, or Kiara weren't in sight, until a few more steps towards the horizon revealed them waiting, near the trees. There was a fourth figure there, a lioness. Undoubtedly either Jaribu or Hatari, or maybe even my sister. More ransoms. Fun, right?

I was almost mad at Simba, in a sense. Him not communicating made me feel like it was the end. There had to be a way out of this. He was, after all, the mighty Simba, the one lions from other prides around have heard of. He was giving up so soon. I was almost disappointed. Sure, it was the completely wrong feeling to be feeling at a time like this. But it just didn't add up. Maybe he just impressed me. I knew a Simba that wasn't there, a Simba that no other lion could ever even attempt to live up to.

We were greeted with almost a warm welcome.

Simba just plopped himself down next to me and turned his head towards me, smiling warmly. "Remember everything I've told you," he whispered towards me. "I know you won't fail me."

I whispered back at him. "Hakuna Matata."

I turned my head away from Simba to stare at the situation in front of my eyes. It was undoubtedly about the same as it was before at the watering hole. Only yards in front of me was Kopa, with Kiara at his side, a claw outstretched to keep her in check. Then there was Kitambi, with Hatari at his side. As long as it wasn't another ransom, it wasn't bad. It was, though, a three to one ratio now. Sure, Kitambi was still no match for my skill. But Hatari seemed like she knew what she was made of, and that she was made of a lot.

I gulped.

"So nice of you to join us, Simba." Kopa laughed for a second. "Oh, I meant, _dad_."

Simba snarled, right at his own son. "Alright, Kopa. What do you want? There has to be something…"

There was that glimmer of hope. That at least Simba had the chance, that slim chance to talk him and the love of my life out of this situation. I couldn't imagine he'd give up that fast. There was no way. Until that hope quickly faded.

"No, Simba. You need to learn your lesson, actually."

I felt the hatred rise up in my throat, my stomach. My every last cell. I just needed to rise up and kill him, bite down into his neck. Feel the blood drip down from his every last hair on his mane. If Kiara wasn't in danger right now, there would be no stopping me. And if anything, Simba was right. I did have the passion that Kopa didn't. It was time for him to die.

Simba just hung his head low. I couldn't imagine what fear he was feeling, what anguish he was feeling for the thought of his own death coming from the hands of his own son. "Well then it's time, isn't it?"

Kopa smirked. I couldn't believe the monster could just kill his own father, and threaten to kill his own sister over something as trivial as becoming king. He was going to deserve every last blow he was gonna get from me. Every last gash into his stomach, every last second he would go without breath. Gasping and writhing for air… I didn't care that these were sick thoughts. Kopa was the worst lion I had ever had the displeasure to know. "You gonna help, Kitambi?"

Kitambi smirked right back at the monster. "I'll let you have all the pleasure, Kopa."

"I can't believe Simba had the heart to take you in, Kitambi. Look what you did to betray him."

Hatari was almost laughing at this point. I was going to enjoy killing her probably, too. She was the worst lioness ever for even daring laughing at the situation. Simba was a great king, and the so-called leader of her pride was going to be responsible for his early demise. One of these new lions had to have a heart. Why was there no way out of this one?

"You're lucky I don't kill you, too, Kovu."

I wasn't done talking, though. Far from it. Anything to buy the noble king time, at least. "Why can't you just let me, Kiara, Simba, and Nala leave the Pride Lands? There would be no one stopping you from getting what you deserve, Kopa."

Kopa seemed to think for a second. Maybe I had hit a good debate point with him? I knew the cynical villain better though. "How about no? I'd rather see you all suffer. And I don't want my little sis' to feel left out." He put on this fake frown, to show what compassion and understanding he had. Which would be ripped off his face any second. "Which reminds me. Would you kindly step forward, Simba?"

Simba looked at me. He had nothing else to say as he got up to walk the last few yards he had left to his son, claws extended. It was all too surreal, seeing my role model, my _father_ walk over to his death. Words just couldn't even begin to describe the way I felt toward it all. And what was worse was the speed at which Simba decided to walk at, slow and calculated. It was disturbing.

He finally got face to face with his killer. "Now let her go," he demanded.

"I will." She shoved Kiara forward, who looked back at her brother. She looked frantically around, as if it was too good to be true, and sprinted the few yards she had to me. I was happy, sure. But far from the definition I had had this morning, looking into her eyes under a harsh sunlit sky. "Unlike you, I keep my promises."

Simba just snarled at his son, as Kiara started weeping beside me.

Now as my time to strike.

Kopa was stupid enough to not keep Kiara until after Simba was dead. That was going to cost him. The way I saw it, it didn't matter whether or not I attacked him right now. Simba might be killed in the process, but at least it wouldn't be completely certain he would die. I would just scream at Kiara to run for it, no matter how slow she was. I would protect her. Maybe Simba could help fight Kopa, Kitambi, and now Hatari off. I smirked, getting ready to leap.

"Wait."

It was this kind of unsure voice, and a feminine one at that. It was Hatari, stepping forward slowly. "Just wait, Kopa. You need to know something."

Kitambi just glared at Hatari. He seemed the most confused, yet worried of all six of us. I had no idea what was going on, but anything that could help the situation, I could wait for. It couldn't possibly get any worse after all, right?

She walked right over to me, to my right side, the side that Kiara wasn't crying hysterically on. Kiara even looked up toward her, to see what she had to say. She just sat there, squinting her eyes, the look of regret stricken on her face.

"Well?" Kopa asked impatiently. "Go on. I don't see what could be so important, but for all means, speak up."

Hatari finally breathed in and out heavily before speaking. "This isn't at all what you think it is." She looked over at me and whispered as close to my ear as she could. "You can thank me later, big guy."

Kitambi nervously laughed. "Hatari, you're in on this, too. You don't need a speech on all of this or anything…"

"Oh shut up, you disgusting freak." Usually the biggest smile in the world would creep its way onto my face, but the situation was far from permitting. What did Hatari know that we didn't? "You'll have nothing to say after I'm done."

Kitambi spoke up again, in protest. "Hatari, don't do anything ration-"

"Let her speak, Kitambi." Kopa put his paw up to Kitambi's face, intrigued. "Anything for the pretty lady."

"Kitambi has been telling a lie this whole time."

I could see this worried look on Kitambi's face, like it was all about to be lost. His cover was about to be blown. "Kitambi," she started, looking once at me, then again at Kopa. "Kitambi is not who he says he is. If anything, Kopa, he is the very thing you're trying to prevent from happening. If anything, he's closer to Scar than anyone here.

"Kitambi's old pride? It was a decent sized one. Maybe half the size of Simba's, but if anything, a decent sized pride. But anyone wanna take a guess at who was the leader, before he tragically died not too long ago?"

She looked around to see Simba staring at her, a hopeful expression on his face. Kitambi looked enraged, ready to strike. I was solemn, waiting for her verdict. "Scar."

Kopa looked at Kitambi. "Is this true?"

"Who are you going to believe?" Kitambi frantically looked around for a smooth saying, something to get himself out of this situation. "Me? Or this, this…"

"Oh, shut up, you buffoon." Hatari scoffed at him, and then smirked. "Let me finish, if you will, Kopa."

Kopa gave her a nod, that she could go on with her story. "Thank you. Kitambi is, if anything, the surrogate grandson to Scar. Taka, as we formerly knew him."

Kitambi nervously giggled. "You know that's gotta be a lie, I mean c'mon-"

Kopa put his paw up again for Kitambi to shut up. I was shocked. All this time, the tables were completely different than anyone ever thought? I was ecstatic! This was exactly what Simba needed, a distraction. A diversion. Kopa wanted nothing more than to exterminate Scar and all that were compared to him, right? Well, the whole reason for killing Simba was so that he could take the throne away from me! The one who looked like Scar, remember? This was going to get good…

"Scar took Gehenna, Kitambi's late father, in as a kind of surrogate son. So that he could teach him the things of being a king, and how to think like him. That kind of stuff. Soon after Scar did this, Kitambi was born, who would forever grow up on the morals of Scar. And guess what his number one moral was?" She waited, almost as if waiting for a response to her rhetorical question. "That Simba was the enemy. And that he would be in a close land, called the Pride Lands. He must be exterminated eventually. And this, this was all his intricate mission to kill Simba."

That pretty much summed up why he didn't want Kopa to kill me over Simba. Kopa had probably even questioned it a few times by now, too. "Why do you think he wants you to kill Simba after all, Kopa? And not Kovu, who you both agreed was the real reason for you not getting the position of prince?"

I knew Kopa, for the short time I had peacefully talked with him. He didn't come off as stupid. He was logical, rational if anything. He seemed as if he was in the middle of a crossroads at the moment, a blank stare across his face. "Well…"

"You can't be stupid, Kopa, if you had survived on your own for as long as Kitambi claimed you did." She smiled, knowing she had finally done the right thing. "And the worst part for you, Kopa? After all of this was over, he was going to try and win Kovu over somehow, and figure out a way for him to be king. You were never in the plan for being king, he was going to take everything for himself. Like it or not, you've been manipulated at every turn."

Kitambi was done for, I knew. I mean, Hatari hadn't really helped my case. If anything, she hurt it. She wasn't done speaking, but I still had a few reasons to be worried that the fight between me and Kopa was far from being prevented.

Kopa just sat there, soaking it all in for a second. He looked to his dad for a second, a look of horror slowly finding its way to his face. Kitambi was frozen to the spot, enraged, frightened, and defeated. It was as readable on his face as the drawings inside Rafiki's tree.

"Why, Hatari?" It was bold as ever for Kitambi to even speak up in the first place.

"Same reason as always, Kitambi." She looked down to the ground, then spat. She looked back up at Kitambi, smirking. "I don't like you."

Kopa was snarling with rage at this point. "You…"

Kitambi started backing away slowly, then stopped at the sound of Hatari's voice starting up again.

"Wait, Kopa." She seemed a little frantic at the start of Kopa's spiral into anger. "You have to know something. This whole time? Kovu hasn't been the enemy. If anything, he's been here for you. And I'm sorry you haven't been able to figure this out. And if you all would allow it, I want me and Jaribu to stay here, in the pride lands. And the other lionesses that came with us. We're done following this wannabe king." She smiled.

"Kovu has taken everything from me…"

"Kopa…" It was my turn to talk. I was inspired by Hatari, the lioness I had only known for her discrete passes she made on me occasionally. "I'm not the enemy here." I stepped forward cautiously, almost in an offer of friendship. "I don't even want to be king. I'm sure if you just stayed here in the Pride Lands peacefully, we could all work something out. Simba is nothing but an honorable and rightful king. He would understand his own son's aspirations…" I looked at Simba in the eyes, who seemed emotionless. I couldn't blame him, seeing as he was just seconds away from death only a few minutes ago. "Fighting with you isn't worth it. Can we just be civil towards each other?"

Kopa looked at me, the anger almost seeming to rise within him. Maybe this was a bad idea, talking in the first place. Then, this wave of serenity passed over his face, as if he was finally at peace with the idea. "I…" He choked on his words, almost. "I have been a bit emotional lately, I will admit… you just don't know what it's like."

I put my paw up slowly, to rest it on his shoulder affectionately. "More than you know, though. We'll just put this all behind us."

Simba slowly moved away from the situation, toward her daughter, who was now crying again. I had no idea why, but if I had to guess, it was because of not knowing which emotion to display at this point. Hatari finally stepped towards me, looking to Kitambi, who was shaking in fear now.

"You…" He said the word less angrily, but if anything, still angrily. He whipped his body toward Kitambi, jerking my paw away. This was gonna be good.

"Me?" he asked, emotionally a wreck. "If anything, I did you a favor…"

Kopa raked his claws to Kitambi's face, leaving a scar. A scar… A scar like mine, and Taka's before it. I gasped.

"Leave, Kitambi," Kopa started, trying to keep his voice from exploding. "And pray that you die before I get to you."

It was all he had to hear before fleeing. Hopefully, forever.

I could see his tail in the distance in a matter of seconds, his head peering over his shoulders to make sure no one was pursuing him. I had to hand it to him, he was a fast runner. I mean, he deserved some praise, constructing this elaborate plan. He was the real Scar in this situation. It was never me, the one who was on the surface of the watering hole. And if anything, that was a relief.

Kopa watched Kitambi run away, as I turned around to see Hatari right behind me.

"I told you you'd thank me later."

I laughed at her. "Why'd you do it?"

"Didn't you hear me?" she asked sarcastically. She smirked. "I've always hated the kids. And I've always _loved_ you…"

It was awkward. "I'm sorry, Hatari. You know there's Kiara…"

"I know." Her smirk turned to a solemn look of peace and wisdom. "But I can still flirt, can't I?"

Kopa turned back around to face me, after watching Kitambi's run for the Outlands for a minute or so. "I… I'm sorry, Kovu. And I don't expect you to ever forgive me."

I laughed at him. "Kopa, I understand exactly what it's like to be fed lies. Apologize to your father, if anything."

He walked the slow walk to his father, starting to apologize on the way. "So I can stay, right?" Hatari asked me, as the scene behind me slowly faded away.

I nodded. "I couldn't think of anything better."


	19. Ch19 Full Circle

"What am I gonna have to do to prove that?" Kopa asked me, head tilted in a sense of wonder.

It was the next day.

There was that crap about how Simba hadn't seen his son in five years, and how he could finally see his son again, in an emotional sense. All that dumb stuff that made you tear up, all the embraces, all the surprised faces. It was that kind of stuff that drove me wild. I was happy that Kopa wasn't at war with me or himself or Simba anymore, but all these emotions…

Who was I to talk though? I had just come off from staying up all night with Kiara, around the same spot where the whole hostage situation had happened. It was the most romantic night I had ever had with her, but if anything, I was tired at this point. I could stay up and talk to her all night, that inquisitive look she always got when she asked me a question. That loving look she always gave me when we talked about the future, and not Kopa for once. Not that Kopa wasn't the foundation for talking in the first place, but hey, it's all good.

And just when I thought I could get some sleep… Kopa has to just walk himself up and start talking to me. I mean, sure, it was a nice chat and all. I could see, if everything was in the cards, that we could be really great friends. Brothers, in a way. He was almost identical to me, in the way he spoke, in the way he thought. One fight that would have been.

It was strange, though, I had to admit. Where did this leave me? I mean, Simba made this whole fight out of the fact that I was to be king. But Kopa had changed, right? I mean, I didn't care about being king all that much. All the responsibility, all the wrong possibilities. All the disappointment it would entail. How people would react to me, after just accepting me weeks ago. I still got those evil stares from some of the other animals, let alone two or three of the lionesses. Sure, it was a small minority, but a population nonetheless.

It finally had dawned on me though. I could be a better king than Kopa, maybe. I mean, sure I didn't even know the lion to begin with. But maybe, just maybe I wasn't as evil as I really thought I was. Maybe Scar, or Taka, was no more for real this time. He wasn't one with me, the same way Mufasa was with Simba. He wasn't one with me at all. I was officially over it. Someone who'd died before I was even born wasn't gonna leave any impact in my life right now. Kiara was the only thing that mattered now, and it was going to stay that way.

Kopa hadn't necessarily proved himself the past few days, though, that was for sure. C'mon, the death of his own father, at his own hands? It was stupid. I guess it was good judgment in the end, though. It was almost stupid that he just abandoned his mission so eagerly, as if he was having regret in the first place. He did have a soul, if anything. He must have just rushed into the hype that Kitambi had created and, in the end, realized his wrong decision. If it weren't for Hatari, I would have killed the excuse for a lion.

It was just so surreal that Hatari would help me out like that. She was much wiser than anyone was giving her credit for, obviously, because given the same position, I would've just stuck it out with Kopa and Kitambi. It was a perfect plan, what they had crafted. I mean, there were definitely some holes in the outcome, but overall, I had to hand it to Kitambi. He had taken control of the Pridelands the short few weeks he had been here, a shorter period of time than I had lived her so far. Genius? Maybe. I couldn't believe that I had trusted Kitambi with my life. I had shared everything with him. And his mission in the end? Sneaky, wasn't it?

Simba sure wasn't one for not having enemies, I guess. It was amazing how much of a lasting impact Taka could have, even if he was long gone. It was almost good that I was mentally calling the absurd lion Taka. It was a sense of closure, that I could call him by a name of sorts. I just couldn't believe how I hadn't listened to Kiara. A lot could've been prevented, I knew that. She was always thinking ahead, always a step ahead of me.

I answered Kopa's question as honestly as I knew how to.

"It'll come. In time."

I smiled into the watering hole beside me.

No more Scar…


End file.
